That's How You Know
by Elle Seren
Summary: "How do you know he loves you?" Marik remembers all the moments leading up to this question and what each memory has taught him. In the end, it's his memories that give him his answer. Thiefshipping, AU.
1. Gay

**A/N: Hmph…wut are you all lookin' at… Of course I'm retired, how dare you think otherwise…oh FINE. I'm back. But just for this one story (probably)! I got this amazing plot bunny and it absolutely wouldn't leave me alone so I sat down to start writing it and…well…this happened. I've already finished most of it. What can I say? I'm weak minded against the forces of such powerful things as thiefshipping. Really you all should be thanking **_**Artemis Nightray**_** and her awesome writing for making me want to write fanfiction again! So go thank her by bouncing over to her story **_**"Painfully Imaginary" **_**on the way out!**

**All you need to know about this story is that it's written a bit unusually. There are no speech tags (he said, she said) so all the dialogue is in italics. My goal is to make it obvious who's talking without them. Each chapter of the story except for the very first section at the top is a memory from Marik's past that he learned something from, leading back up to what they were originally talking about. Like "Perfect" it is an AU, but I tried to keep the details as canon as possible though it strays a bit more than I usually do…but…whatever. In my defense, I'm retired, so go easy on me…please? Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

"_But Marik, are you sure? This just seems so sudden…how do you know he loves you?" _

Ishizu's words, though merely out of concern for her little brother, would have a much more lasting impact than she intended. Indeed, Marik would look back on them fondly many times in the future.

"_You might not want to hear this sister, but sometimes, in an instant, you just know."_

…

I remember the first time Ishizu helped me sneak out of the house. I was only ten. Father was very strict about when I was allowed to leave the house. Namely, only for school.

Ishizu, who had been left in charge while father was working at the museum, got a phone call inviting her out to the mall.

"_Come on Ishizu, you have to come! Today's the big opening!"_

"_I-I can't Mai-chan…I'm watching my little brother…"_

"_So just bring him with you! Your dad won't know, and he'll enjoy himself!"_

And that was how I ended up sneaking out of the house to go to the mall with my sister.

The first thing her friends did upon seeing 'Ishizu's little brother' was tease me about how cute I was. For some reason, they were extra excited when they found out that I went to an all boy's school.

Not-so-surprisingly, this tied into why we were at the mall, and why Ishizu looked so embarrassed.

"_I…I changed my mind. I don't want to go."_

"_Come on, Ishizu! Don't you want to impress Seto?"_

"_Yes, but Marik" –_

"_Come on!"_

Moments later, I found out what the big deal was. A fancy lingerie store was opening and models had come to 'display' the merchandise. Needless to say, there were as many guys there as there were girls there.

At the time I couldn't understand why. Clothes were for girls. The whole event was pretty boring, right up until the end.

For the finale, a bright red motorcycle was wheeled onto the stage by a guy. Apparently, a raffle was being held for it and a bunch of items from the store. To increase ticket purchase, one of the models got up on the bike.

I guess she was pretending to drive it, but she wasn't even close with the noises she was making. Whatever.

To be honest, I couldn't care less about the girl. The bike, now that was worth my attention!

A movement by its side managed to distract me. It was the guy who wheeled the bike out.

Suddenly, there were two things competing for my attention.

"_Um…Mai-san?"_

"_Yah, Marik-kun?"_

"_Is that guy one of the models, too?"_

The look she gave me was the only answer I needed.

I thought about what Ishizu's friends had said to her about this 'Seto' guy.

I looked at her.

I looked at the model.

I looked at the bike (still more interesting than the model).

I looked at the guy (definitely more interesting than the model, maybe even more interesting than the bike).

And it was right there in that moment that I knew I was gay.

**A/N: So there you have it! The first couple memories are really quite short. The older he gets, the more detailed they become. So bear with me until then! Until next week my lovelies…(oh and feel free to review…cause I remember those being the best part of writing on this site ^_^) Cheers~!**


	2. Exposed

**A/N: Another really, really short one. I promise they pick up soon! Because this chapter is like, stupid short, I decided to upload it earlier than planned because why wait a week for only 200 words? Hope you enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer (You'd think I'd be used to writing these by now): I only own this story, not the characters from whence it came.**

I remember the way Ishizu sat me down the next day, all red-faced and ashamed.

"_Oh Marik…I'm sorry. I should never have taken you to the mall with me. I'm sure you have a lot of questions."_

"_About what?"_

"_Well, about what you…saw."_

"_Oh. Well…the bike was kinda fun to look at for awhile. I don't think father will let me have one though."_

"_You don't have to pretend, Marik. If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay. But if you have any questions about how it made you feel or anything at all, just know you can ask me."_

She got up to leave, but she seemed really upset that I had no questions, so I figured I should at least ask about that.

"_What's wrong, sister? Did I do something bad?"_

"_No, no, Marik, It wasn't your fault. I never should have…I mean you're just so young to be finding out about" –_

"_It's okay, sister. I already knew."_

"_Did…did father already have that conversation with you?"_

"_No. Should he have? I thought it was pretty obvious. Girls are all so boring. All they ever wanna do is show of their dumb clothes. That guy by the motorcycle, now he looked way cooler! They should act more like him if they want attention!"_

And that was the moment that Ishizu knew I was gay.

**A/N: Okay, so these first two chapters were just kind of intended to be cute and show the format of the story...they get gradually longer after this, I promise, but its a pretty simple story so...hopefully that's alright :) Thanks to the people who reviewed! They really made me smile and I'm glad people are still reading my writing :)**


	3. Crush

**A/N: Oh my goodness...the support for this story is seriously amazing! The love I'm receiving has basically put me in a permanent state of blushing and giggling! You guys are totally amazing. I actually feel bad about how short these chapters are given how much people seem to like them, soo...I think I'll start posting every 3-4 days, at least until we get to the more interesting stuff *cough* Bakura *cough*. That way it'll be like you're getting a full length chapter in a week ;D Hopefully that shows my extreme appreciation for my super-special-awesome fans! *heart***

**Disclaimer: The story is mine, the characters are too. Or not..**

I remember my first, real crush.

No, it wasn't on 'motorcycle guy'. I'm talking about feelings for someone who I actually knew the name of.

I was twelve years old, and had recently entered middle school. It was still an all-boys school, so there was nothing new and exciting except for some of the students. Being somewhat shy and pretty socially awkward at the time, it was difficult for me to make friends.

And then one day, I met Yuugi Mutou. He was also pretty shy, but he liked to play games. I learned a lot from him and really liked to play with him during lunch break.

He was better than me, but for some reason that never bothered me.

One day, during a game of duel monsters, he seemed particularly happy.

"_Ne, Yuugi-kun, you seem so happy today. Did something good happen?"_

"_It's that obvious, huh? My grandpa got a new shipment of Duel Monster cards…I've been saving up my money, and I wanted it to be a surprise, but I bought us both a pack! This way we can both open them together, at the same time!"_

Heart hammering, I accepted the pack from him. A…gift? I had never really gotten a gift before. I hardly could scrape together enough money to afford my basic deck of cards which were no match for Yuugi's.

And yet, there he was, holding out the brightly foiled pack of cards to me, violet eyes sparkling.

Did his eyes normally sparkle like that?

Oh, Ra, my heart was beating so hard, what was going on?

Reaching out a shaking hand to accept the package, our fingers brushed, and it was like electricity had jolted up my arm. Gasping, I pulled back, accidentally yanking the pack from Yuugi's hand.

"_Marik-kun? Are you alright? You look really flushed…are you sick?"_

With those words, I knew it. You guessed it.

In that moment, I knew that Yuugi Mutou was my very first crush.

**A/N: Oh my Ra, no! I'm sure some of you are like hell no, that is not even a little bit canon! But I promise you'll realize my logic very soon so don't hate me yet! **

**On another note, I'm sure you've all noticed Bakura's not in the story yet, despite this being a thiefshipping fic. That's because Marik is pretty young right now (only 12). They don't meet till he's older, but the story picks up when they do! Just to tease ya'll a little bit and give you something to look forward to, I'll tell you the title of that chapter is "Lust". So when you receive an update about the chapter lust, just know he's a-coming! ;)**


	4. Jealousy

**A/N: Okay so this is the second update of the week! I think I'm going to try to update on Monday's and Thursday until the chapters get longer ;) That being said, this is the longest chapter yet! I hope you all like it! And don't worry, the 'canon' details I've been talking about come in next chapter…I promise!**

**Disclaimer: The characters are not mine but the story is!**

I remember how I used to think that Ishizu cared too much about me and how Rishid didn't care enough.

She was always so bossy and he was always so quiet. I sometimes thought he didn't notice me at all. I was wrong about that, of course.

I found that out about a month after I discovered my first crush.

It had been quite distracting. It was increasingly difficult to concentrate on games when all I wanted to do was watch Yuugi laugh and smile. I also found myself getting really jealous of sharing his attention with his other friends.

Especially the stupid girls. I had to stop hanging out with him at the game shop after school, because sometimes there were girls there, and didn't he know that girls were dumb? Boys were way better.

Sometimes the other boys in school looked at me funny when I butted in and tried to regain his attention, but Yuugi never minded. He was always happy to spend time with me.

Still…I didn't like feeling jealous. It wasn't a nice feeling. There had to be a way to cure myself of it.

It was about the time that I was feeling particularly unsettled by my own jealousy and anger at the other people in Yuugi's life that my siblings started to notice the changes in me as well.

Looking back, it wasn't hard to tell. I never was very good at hiding my feelings. Some days I'd walk in the door, glowing like, well, like a school boy with a crush, and others I'd sulk around no matter what anyone said or did to cheer me up.

On one such day, my sulking had reached inconsolable heights. I refused to even take off my shoes at the door, purposefully tracking mud across the floor, because if I couldn't make Yuugi pay for ignoring me, I'd make _someone _pay.

It only took a few minutes of sulking on my bed for someone to follow the muddy footsteps to my room. The surprising part was that it wasn't Ishizu but Rishid who approached me.

"_Marik…"_

"_I'm not cleaning that up. I don't care if you tell father. I don't care about anything."_

"_Marik, what's wrong? Did something happen at school?"_

"_I hate school."_

"_You hate school or you hate the people at school?"_

This gave me pause, which was saying something when I was in one of my moods. I hadn't really thought when I'd said that I hated school. But Rishid was right.

I didn't hate school. It was better than home. Especially when Yuugi paid attention to me.

"_Just the people, I guess…"_

"_Are you being bullied, brother?"_

Bullied? What would give him that idea?

I suddenly felt guilty about my recent behavior. I didn't want my siblings to be troubled by my problems. It wasn't their fault I couldn't control my feelings. I didn't know how to, though…

"_Rishid…how do you know if you're being bullied? What if it's maybe just your own fault for not fitting in?"_

"_Well…I guess if people are purposefully hurting your feelings, that's bullying. If you won't talk to them at all though, it's not their fault. Are people being mean to you at school?"_

"_No. I'm being mean to them. Because they won't leave me and…my friend alone. I just want to hang out with my friend but my friend and the other kids don't get that."_

"_Marik…is this 'friend' of yours someone you having…different feelings for? Romantic feelings?"_

"…"

"_Marik…"_

"…_Maybe."_

"_Did you ever think maybe your 'friend' feels the same way as you? You don't know how to tell your friend how you feel and they don't know how to tell you. Maybe you should just tell them. If you talked to the other kids, I'm sure they'd understand as well."_

Suddenly, with those words, everything seemed so much clearer.

How had I not thought of that?

It was a scary idea, but me and Yuugi talked a lot. It wouldn't be hard to just say that I liked him.

If he didn't like me it would be no big deal, right?

I'd seen Jounouchi-kun get slapped by lots of girls when he talked to them (and he talked to like, all of them, because it was kind of a big deal to see a girl seeing as we went to an all boy's school) but no one ever seemed really upset. And if I told Yuugi in front of the other kids, they'd all understand.

"_What if…what if my friend doesn't like me back?"_

"_If he doesn't like you back, and he's a good person, he'll just tell you so. He won't embarrass you. And if he's a really good person, he'll still be your friend."_

The advice cheered me up for the first time. That is, until I realized something important.

"_Rishid…you called my friend a he. I never said" –_

"_Brother, it doesn't matter if your friend is a he or a she. All that matters to me is your happiness."_

It was there in that moment that I knew I had the coolest, smartest big brother in the whole world.

**A/N: *Cough* *Cough* I'm sorry; I'm just being smothered by this thick cloud of foreshadowing…also, I just wanted to say that sadly as much as I love Rishid's character he won't have as big a part in this story. He always seems to be the one protecting and taking care of Marik while Ishizu's off just doing her thing. I thought it would be cool to develop Marik and Ishizu's relationship in this story. With that said, I hope you enjoyed and I will have the next chapter up (explaining my supposed YuugixMarik canon) on Monday!**


	5. Wrong

**A/N: Okay I'm actually pretty excited about this chapter! FINALLY some real plot happens…and hopefully you will all see what I meant by Marik's little crush on Yuugi being 'canon' ;) More on that at the end! See ya'll at the bottom!**

**Disclaimer: Characters aren't mine but the story is!**

I remember acting on Rishid's brotherly advice soon after our heart to heart.

Properly ironed uniform?

Check.

Flowers picked before school?

Check.

Sweaty palms?

Check.

Here it went.

I clutched my meager bundle of wildflowers a little bit tighter. I repeated Rishid's advise in my head like a mantra.

The worst that could happen would be that Yuugi wouldn't like me and we'd still be friends. Then this jealousy problem would go away because I'd know he probably liked someone else anyways.

It was lunch break now. The perfect time to ask him in front of everyone. If he did like me, then everyone would understand why I shouldn't have to share his attention.

Perfect logic, right?

Slowly approaching his table, flowers held behind my back, I saw that he was already talking to someone. No, not just someone, it was his older brother, Yami.

He was an upperclassman, so I rarely saw him, but I sometimes spied him talking to Yuugi at lunch as he was doing now.

He was kind of scary looking, but if Yuugi was so nice, surely his brother would be too, right?

Nerves getting the better of me, I cleared my throat, interrupting their conversation. Both Mutou's eyes stared me down, making me even more nervous.

I decided to focus on Yuugi instead, since his innocent, violet eyes usually had a calming effect on me. Not today, though.

"_H-hey, Yuugi-kun!"_

"_Oh, hey Marik-kun! Did you come to eat lunch with us? I think there's still a free seat."_

"_N-no, I mean, well…I just had something to ask you…or, um, tell you I guess…"_

"_Sure, anything!"_

I was so nervous, heart beat so erratic, that I completely lost sight of the other Mutou brother. All I could see was Yuugi, all I could think about was –

"_What the hell are these? Flowers?"_

I guess Yami hadn't actually 'disappeared' after all. He had just been circling around behind me.

I felt bigger, stronger hands grabbing at my carefully picked flowers, ripping them from my hands despite my cry of displeasure.

"_You planning on giving these to my brother? Huh?"_

"_I-I-I guess so…"_

"_Well not anymore, you faggot."_

With those delicate words, he dropped my flowers to the ground and stomped on them, making enough noise to attract the stares of more than just my current audience.

I gasped, reaching out a hand as though to save my ruined flowers.

Laughing cruelly at my hurt expression, he grabbed my hand and started using it to smack me in the face.

"_Why you hitting yourself faggot? Why you hitting yourself? Is that what you freaks do in your spare time when you realize how messed up you are? Are you regretting trying to ask out my brother? You better be, you disgusting little homo."_

I was sent reeling backwards with a hard shove, my head now ringing from being slapped around by my own hand.

It wasn't like I couldn't handle it. Father's punishments were much worse, but still. It stung, not just in my face, but also in my pride.

I definitely was no longer oblivious to the stares of the people surrounding me, nor the malicious laughter and whispers. To my shame, I felt tears starting to form in my eyes.

"_Y-you're just a bully! There's nothing wrong" –_

"_Nothing wrong? Nothing _wrong?_ You just don't get it. Freaks like you shouldn't be allowed in public. You're disgusting. If I was a part of your family I'd disown you. And if you ever come near my brother again, I'll pound your head in so hard that you'll wish you were straight!"_

This time, the shove was accented with a stuck out foot from the crowd, sending me down on my hands and knees. The connotations of my position only added to the general jeering around me.

I saw a couple concerned faces in the crowd, but no one who cared enough to step in. I staggered up to my feet, only concerned now with getting out of there.

With a glance backwards, hoping to spite the older bully with a glare to save at least a little pride, I caught sight of Yuugi's face peeking out from behind him. He was staring firmly at the cafeteria tabletop, flushed and wide-eyed, even a little scared looking.

For a moment, he looked up and met my gaze, but just as quickly diverted it away again.

It was then, as the only person I really thought of as a friend avoided me in my time of greatest need, that I knew two things.

One was that I would never forgive Yuugi's stupid arse of an older brother for humiliating me like this.

The second was that while Rishid might be the greatest big brother ever, but he definitely wasn't always right.

**A/N: Oh man, every time I read this chapter…poor little kid Marik! I just…nooo! He was so innocent and sweet! This was the most canonical way of explaining his intense hatred of Yami that I could think of, though (you know, without the whole tomb keeper thing…). My thinking was the Marik, while certainly hating Yuugi for being the avatar of the Pharaoh, really just hates the Pharaoh and is unable to distinguish between the two a lot of the time. So I thought, this was a good way to show that hatred for Yami and dislike of Yuugi given how similar he is to Yami! I hope that works for others...I feel like I may have lost readers for the YuugixMarik thing...anyways, I hope you all enoy! :)**


	6. Kindness

**A/N: I love this chapter because yay other characters and more plot development and it isn't heinously short! Also I adore birthdays and presents and it makes me sad when people say they don't get presents for their birthdays…that's not to say I think people are entitled to gifts but I am someone who LOVES to give and receive presents so not getting them is associated with sadness for me. And…since my birthday is coming up in a month or so…this chapter seems very appropriate! ;)**

**Disclaimer: The storyline belongs to me but the characters do not.**

I remember the best birthday present I ever got.

I know that's not saying much since my family didn't really give presents, but it's stuck with me just the same.

It wasn't jewellery (though I love jewellery) or a motorcycle (I wouldn't even have been old enough to drive one at the time) but it was a simple act of kindness.

To say my school life had been miserable since my 'discussion' with Yami would be an understatement. Nobody wanted to be associated with 'the gay guy'.

Usually, I wasn't bullied too much –not intentionally anyways. Occasionally I'd hear the word 'queer' following me around, or get a little shove in the hallway, but it was nothing that any other socially awkward student might endure.

Mostly, it was just the silence that I seemed to carry like a shroud around me that I simply couldn't shake. Like people thought they'd get my 'disease' if they talked to me.

The only time it was really bad though was on the bus after school. All these boys just starting to go through puberty packed together like sardines in a tin can. It was a nightmare just waiting to happen.

Needless to say, they did not appreciate being packed in with a social pariah like me.

So I took to walking home alone. I didn't mind in the warmer months. I like the sun. It would cheer me up after a bad day.

The rainy days, though…those were always hard. It was like even Mother Nature was laughing at my misery.

My birthday was no different than any other day. Rainy, lonely, miserable, wet…and I still had at least another half hour to my trek before I got back to our apartment.

As I cut through a neighbourhood, hoping to shorten my walk a little, I heard a girl's voice calling out. I glanced up, automatically surprised to hear a female voice (going to an all-boy's school can do that).

The girl was leaning off her porch, trying not to get wet as she yelled at a group of boys that were throwing stones at a cat which appeared to be stuck up a tree.

"_H-hey! Leave that poor cat alone!"_

"_What do you care? The stupid thing won't come down anyways!"_

"_That doesn't mean you can throw stones at it, you baka!"_

"_What you gonna do about it? Come out here and stop us if you care so much!"_

This proposition was quickly followed by lots of wolf whistles from the other boys. I couldn't understand why until she bravely did exactly as they suggested and came charging towards them.

Her simple white t-shirt was quickly plastered to her body and the black fabric of her bra beneath the white was very obvious.

I ducked my head, embarrassed. I always felt uncomfortable about that sort of thing. Mostly because I knew people expected me to care and I just knew I couldn't make myself.

The boys apparently also didn't know what to do when she came running towards them, because they were pretty quick to scatter along with their bravado.

I tried to stay invisible, hugging the curb as I shuffled along in the rain with my head down. It would be just my luck if today of all days those boys decided to pick on me.

Instead, just the opposite happened. They passed by, giving me no notice, still avidly in discussion about what they'd 'seen'.

From what I could tell, there wasn't much to see, other than her bra and that was just a piece of cloth.

Still, it made me narrow my eyes, anger shaking the cold of the rain from my bones. How could those boys be so mean to such a nice girl? All she wanted to do was help the poor cat and they were talking about her like she was a piece of meat.

Glancing back carefully at the girl, I saw that she was looking up at the cat in the tree, shoulder-length brown hair falling in her blue eyes as she shivered hopelessly.

Before I could really think about what I was doing, I had turned around and was headed back towards her.

"_Excuse me, Miss?"_

"_E-eh, don't look, you p-pervert!"_

"_No! No, no, no, I wasn't…that wasn't…I'm not like that! I mean…I'm not…interested in girls…I just wanted to help."_

It came out awkwardly and staggered. I had never had to tell anyone about my sexuality before, and certainly never used it to _defend_ myself.

She looked at me, confused and suspicious, obviously not sure how to react to my sudden introduction.

Flushing despite the cold rain, I questioned why I was even doing this.

Since I had already embarrassed myself, though, I might as well try and do some good. At the very least I knew the cat wouldn't judge me.

I took a step back before running at the tree with a wild, tackling jump. It was clumsy and I had very little practice climbing trees, but I managed to awkwardly shimmy my way up the trunk.

Ishizu was going to be so angry when she saw my uniform, but it was too late now.

Once I was straddling a branch, I coaxed the cat into my arms and then more or less dropped to the ground, simply praying that I wouldn't break anything.

Once again, luck was on my side, and both the cat and I landed in one piece.

Seeing how she still had her arms wrapped around herself, either for decency or protection from the cold, I offered her the cat while staring pointedly at my shoes.

I felt the furry body leave my hands after a pause.

"_I-I'm sorry…I didn't mean to startle you. I only wanted to help."_

There was another pause, and then:

"_That's okay. My name is Mazaki Anzu. What's yours?"_

"…_My name's Marik."_

There was a slight pause, and I wished I could look up and see her expression so I would know if it was one of disgust or appreciation. At least then I'd know if I should leave or not.

Turning around abruptly, I took off my uniform jacket, offering it to her without looking once again.

Strangely, instead of just taking it, I felt her hand touch mine gently.

"_Marik-san, thank" –_

Whatever she might have intended to say was cut off by the slam of a door and footsteps coming towards us. Startled, I turned to look.

My heart literally dropped to my feet when I saw none other than Mutou Yami storming towards us. His ridiculous hair-do was impossible to mistake for anyone else's.

The jacket fell from my suddenly trembling grasp, landing in the dirt pathetically.

Anzu shot me a funny look, but my feet were already moving backwards, away from Anzu and him, when he started to shout.

"_Oi, Anzu! Where'd you go? I thought we were supposed to be studying?"_

"_Sorry, Yami. There were these boys bothering this poor cat. Then Marik here" –_

"_Marik? Who the hell is Marik?"_

I started backing away even faster, even half turning to make a run for it when he finally caught up to me, grabbing my arm with one hand.

His intense eyes narrowed dangerously as our eyes met, zeroing in on my nervous expression.

"_You!"_

The danger in that single word was all I needed to hear before I ripped away, running any way that was not towards Yami, forget shortcuts home.

"_That's right, you better run, faggot!"_

"_Yami!"_

I actually stumbled in my steps, pausing a little at the sound of Anzu's chastising voice. I kept moving away, but not as quickly now, confused.

No one had ever stood up for me before.

"_What? He is!"_

"_Who cares what he is? He was trying to help me!"_

There was a grumbling pause behind me, and then:

"_Whatever. Let's just go back inside before you get a cold. Here, take my jacket."_

"_No thanks. I think I'll wear Marik's, actually."_

I can't say what happened after that, because I made it back to the main street, and out of ear shot. But I can tell you that I spent the rest of the walk with the biggest smile ever on my face.

The way Anzu stood up to Yami was truly the greatest birthday present I could have asked for.

Because as soon as I heard her say that, I knew it was okay to be myself.

**A/N: Go Anzu! I know some people like to bash her, but I've always loved her character (as some of you may know from my revolutionshipping days). I totally get disliking her in the English Dub as Tea, but she's pretty much a BAMF in the original Japanese and even more so in Season 0. Also, fun fact: When I initially wrote this, I thought she was going to be at least Yami's age (2 years older than Marik) but then I decided to make her awesome and mature for her age instead (as you will realize later)! Also, I thought I'd give you guys some happy stuff this chapter because next chapter...not so happy...just a warning! ;) Hope you all enjoyed! **


	7. Freak

**A/N: Trigger Warning! Sad stuff head. And yes, that is a legit trigger warning. There is nothing like coming to read a new chapter of your favorite fluffy fic and getting this massive pile of angsty angst instead. So you've been warned! Get ready for a (short) sad chapter!**

**Disclaimer: The story is mine but the characters are not!**

I remember the worst day of my life.

"_You faggot! You queer freak!"_

Shouting, anger, lots of hitting. It shouldn't be okay to hit people with your words or your hands. Not Yami this time, though. It was worse than that.

"_You're no child of mine! No wonder your mother died giving birth to an abomination like you!"_

The accusations hurt much more than his punishing hands. It wasn't like my father had never hit me before, but he had definitely never spoken to me in such a way.

I hardly remember how he even found out. A misplaced comment by Ishizu about how the kids at school were treating me, I think.

She hadn't done it on purpose, it was just her regular inquiry when she came to visit (both she and Rishid had moved out by now).

If father hadn't been listening in, he might never have found out. It wasn't like I was bringing boys home with me at the age of thirteen. I hadn't even made it into high school yet.

At this rate, I wasn't going to.

"_Father" -_

"_You –are –never –to –call –me –that –again! You are not my child!"_

Each word punctuated by a blow. All I could do was cower on the floor and pray Ishizu got back from picking up Rishid soon.

The blows paused, and I risked a peek up. I only caught a flash of metal, but cold fear filled me.

"_Don't! Don't father! Please!"_

I was no stranger to father's beatings, but it seemed he had really snapped this time. Flipping over, I tried to scramble to my feet, but quickly found myself pinned to the ground.

A moment later there was a sharp pain across my back and then all I could hear was the sound of my own screaming.

I didn't hear the sound of the door opening, but it must have, because the next thing I knew, my screaming was joined by Ishizu's.

The memory is foggy with pain and noise, but someone, probably Rishid, hauled father off of me, while a hysteric Ishizu babbled into the phone.

Not too long later more people arrived, and I vaguely realized it must be the police, but I was in too much pain to think anything else.

In fact, all I knew for certain at that moment, was that the darkness was very comfortable and extremely inviting…

**A/N: So, this where I strayed from canon more than I normally do. I realize that Marik should, canonically speaking, have a split personality/crazy older brother that kills their father at this point. BUT…I decided not to do that this time. For one thing, I already did that in "Perfect" so I couldn't use Mariku (though he is in this story, just not related to Marik!) but more importantly, if you kill your father, they don't just let you go back to school the next year like it's no big deal…kind of a problem for this story! Sorry for the sadness guys...I promise next chapter is happier? :)**


	8. Acceptance

**A/N: Woot Thursday again! I've decided I'll keep up these twice-weekly uploads until Bakura comes into the story...which will be soon I swear. Just keep looking out for lust ;) Other than that I don't have much to say other than thanks for all the overwhelming support and love!**

**Disclaimer: The characters are not mine but the story is. Some guy who's name I can't pronounce/spell owns it :)**

I remember the day the investigation finally closed on my father.

Not so surprisingly, he was going to jail.

That tended to happen when you carved the word 'faggot' into your teenaged son's back.

I had become even more antisocial at this time, not speaking to anyone unless I absolutely had to.

Obviously, I could no longer live in my father's house. I had been living with Rishid during the investigation, but he had to go back to Egypt for his internship.

I figured I'd be put in a group home or foster care or something.

It didn't matter.

Those people probably wouldn't want a fag for a son either.

"_Marik, can we talk?"_

That was Ishizu. Still trying to be a good big sister. I probably owed her my life for coming in when she did. But I still felt numb about the whole thing.

Except for my back. My back still burned every time I moved.

"_Oh, Marik…I'm sorry. I thought…I thought I could change you when you were younger. Before father found out. I just kept putting it off and putting it off…but I never should have even tried."_

Of course she shouldn't have tried. I was Marik waste-of-life Ishtar.

Who would want to waste time on someone like me?

"_What I mean to say is, I shouldn't have tried to change you at all. I can't always understand what you're going through, but I know one thing: you're my little brother. And you're perfect just the way you are. I will love you, no matter who you're attracted to, or what anyone says about you…so…if you don't hate me too much…maybe you would consider coming to live with me? I understand if you'd prefer the foster system. I haven't exactly proven myself as a great big sister. But if you'd give me a chance…I'd like to change that, brother."_

I had no words. I couldn't process what she was saying enough to think of a response. My brain just kept on getting stuck on the 'I love you'.

She…still loved me? She still wanted me?

I felt tears slip out from under my lids, running down my cheeks.

"_Marik…I'm so sorry…"_

Arms around me, hugging me, holding me, loving me like I hadn't felt I had been in a long time. And this time I hugged back, holding tightly to my big sister, afraid to let go.

"_Ishizu…I'm sorry too…I was so scared…that you wouldn't…"_

I couldn't finish my sentence, and I didn't need to. She understood, and the tightening in her embrace told me I no longer needed to fear.

For the first time since the incident, the burning in my back seemed to cool to little more than a tingle.

That simple offer of a sanctuary to run to when I had nowhere else to turn to told me everything.

And I knew, right then and there as we sat hugging outside the courtroom, that there would be people who would love me no matter who I was.

**A/N: This is how I think Ishizu and Marik's relationship would have played out if he hadn't decided to run away and become king of the world like he did in the canon. Despite the harsh way that she deals with his rebelliousness in the show (which will be seen later) I think she truly would do anything for her brother. And I think Rishid would do his best, but he never really stands up to Marik at all, which is why I wanted to showcase Ishizu in this particular story! Thanks for reading guys, see ya'll in the review section I hope :)**


	9. Okay

**A/N: Oh ma Ra, look, it's a real length chapter! Also one of my favorite characters in this fic is introduced this chapter (put away those shining hopeful faces, it's not Bakura sady)! Go ahead and guess who it is, I'm sure it'll be absolutely obvious, though ;) **

**Disclaimer: Not mine!**

I remember my first day of high school.

For the first time, I walked into school with my head held high. It was a new school with a mix of new and old classmates –and some of those classmates were girls! It was a mixed gender school!

I couldn't have been more excited or confident.

For the start of my school year, Ishizu had given me a small budget and I managed to get some new jewellery as well as eyeliner. I had secretly always wanted to wear eyeliner like hers in the traditional Egyptian style.

She had seemed a bit taken aback by my choices, but, as she had since she'd taken me in a couple months ago, she simply smiled and supported my decisions.

I wasn't sure how a recent school graduate like her was able to support both of us and even send me to high school. She didn't even get to go, and father definitely made more money than she made now.

I think it had something to do with her mysterious boyfriend that I sometimes heard her talking to on the phone. He was a business person, so he wasn't around much apparently.

These thoughts were hardly at the forefront of my mind, though. It was my first day of high school, and I looked great.

This school was definitely going to be different!

"_Hey, Yuug! Long-time no see!"_

Those simple words stopped me dead in my tracks. Turning slightly, I was shocked to see Yuugi, being greeted rather rambunctiously by a tall guy with messy blond hair, Jounouchi-kun, I think.

I couldn't tear my eyes from Yuugi's short frame with his unmistakeable hair. It wasn't that I still had feelings for him; I just had never expected to see him here.

Somehow, the idea of the same old faces following me to this new school simply hadn't computed until now.

I knew there would be lots of new people, but I hadn't really stopped to consider that my old tormentors would also return.

"_Hey, is that…Marik-kun?"_

I didn't even stop to find out who had recognized me. I was gone down the hall before anyone could do anything to further ruin my first day of high school.

This wasn't the way it was supposed to be! It was supposed to be new –_different._

In my hurry, I bumped into another guy.

"_Hey! Watch where you're going!"_

"_O-oh, sorry. Just…not looking, I guess."_

The guy who was busy brushing off his jacket, paused in his actions to flick his eyes up and down my body –and then again, only slower this time.

Licking his lips, he flicked back some of his black hair casually, though it merely popped out of his red headband again anyways.

Though it was rude to stare at someone you'd just run into (was I really trying to alienate even the people I _hadn't_ met yet?) I couldn't help it.

The first thing I noticed was that his eyes were really green. Like, really, really green. And very attractive.

The second was that he was also wearing jewellery –an earring in the shape of a dice fell from his ear. He made it look cool, not girly. I could only hope I made my jewellery look that good.

"_No problem…though I invite you to do all the looking you'd like. I certainly will."_

"_Excuse me?"_

"_Sorry, sorry! It's just…you're very pretty!"_

His apology really didn't make him sound sorry, especially from the way he laughed after, flicking back more stylized hair.

Well, I'd been insulted before, but never quite like this!

"_I'm not a girl, you know!"_

"_Oh, I know."_

And with a wink, he was gone.

I stood there, both stunned and confused. Did that mean…he had been…hitting on me? From nearby I heard people beginning to whisper.

My first reaction was to be annoyed by this strange, good looking boy who seemed to be trying to make it difficult for me to fit in. That is, until I listened in closer to the distinctly female whispers.

"_Did you see that? He was totally hitting on that freshman!"_

"_I wish he would notice me like that!"_

"_Oh, come on, you know he plays for the other side."_

"_I heard he plays both! I could have a chance!"_

"_With Ryuji? No way! I can't even believe _that_ guy got his attention!"_

Flushing, as I realized they were talking about me, I hurried to my class, which was my original destination. Their words were still echoing when I sat down.

Did I really catch another boy's attention? Even a popular, upperclassman? And…that was okay with some of the people here? Even enviable?

My head was spinning with that realization when the teacher entered. I heard a collective groan from the class and realized I should probably be paying attention.

I quickly gathered that the teacher was having us stand up and introduce ourselves and inform the class of one thing that we wanted them to know about us.

Still dazed, I let my gaze wander around the room, taking in my new classmates. A voice drilled through my haze, grabbing my attention. It had a strong accent which I immediately recognized as Jounouchi's.

Oh, great.

If he was in my class, than that probably meant –yup. There was that tri-colored hair and innocent pale face.

Ra, my nerves were not going to survive a year in the same class as him.

The memories seeing him brought back…they definitely weren't nice ones.

The mere recollection made my back itch uncomfortably.

My confidence was in full nosedive, until I caught a glance of who was sitting right next to Yuugi. How had I missed her before? It was Anzu, that girl I had met in the rain.

I had always assumed she was an upperclassman like Ishizu since Yami had claimed they were studying that day, but maybe she was just advanced in her classes.

(Or maybe they were doing more than just 'studying'.)

Catching my eye across the room, she gave an excited wave, face lighting up when she saw me.

I didn't know how to respond exactly, but gave a shy wave in response.

"_Ishtar-san!"_

The sharp bark of my teacher's voice had me rocketing out of my seat, realizing I'd missed my spot on roll call.

"_U-um, I'm Ishtar Marik. And I…"_

An awkward pause. My gaze strayed back to Anzu and Yuugi, trying and failing to think of something 'not gay' to say about myself.

"_And I…I like…playing games."_

With that said, I sunk back into my seat, wishing the floor would swallow me up. Surprisingly, the next person that was called was none other than my old crush.

"_My name is Mutou Yuugi, and I also like playing games."_

He sat back down, but not before shooting me a small, nervous smile. From somewhere in the back of the room someone coughed out the word 'gay'.

There were a couple giggles, but then Anzu, in a quite 'unladylike' fashion, coughed back the word 'asshole'.

The giggles immediately stopped.

The next person called was a cute, purple haired girl with a big yellow ribbon in her hair. Jumping up from her seat, she fairly glowed with happiness.

"_My name is Nosaka Miho, and Miho _loves_ yaoi!"_

The class burst into laughter, but for the first time, it didn't seem like malicious laughter. It was just…the release of tension. Like the relaxing of muscles after a workout.

Though I was a little later than most people, I managed to let out a very small, rusty laugh of my own.

I felt my cheeks heat, but I couldn't help smiling a little despite a couple funny looks I got. After seeing the subtle ways that people who barely knew me were willing to stand up for me…I knew that things really could be different, here.

I knew, at long last, it was really okay to be myself.

**A/N: So, I know I already did a chapter where he realized it was okay to be himself, but the idea is that he now knows it's okay to be himself PUBLICALLY. Also, I threw Miho in there because she is the perfect cliché yaoi fangirl and people seemed to like what I did with her in "Perfect"! Actually, one of the main reasons I'm writing this story is do something that I neglected to do in "Perfect" that, in retrospect, I wish I had. I wish I had used canon characters instead of OCs for the random side people. So this story is letting me do that! Yay!**


	10. Taste

**A/N: Sorry for posting this so late, I'm sure many of you won't get to it till tomorrow...in my defense, well,I just 100% blame my girlfriend for distracting me all day. Her fabulousness was blinding and tore me away momentarily from my one true love- you guys! Okay maybe that was an exaggeration (she's looking over my shoulder reading this) but hopefully the awesome revelation of Ishizu's mysterious rich boyfriend will make up for my scatter-brainedness :) Because its totally not obvious...**

**Disclaimer: Not mine!**

I remember the first time I met Ishizu's mysterious boyfriend.

She made me put on my best clothes and put down the nice tablecloth. She seemed very nervous for some reason.

"_I just hope you like him!"_

"_But Ishizu, what if I like him too much?"_

It had gotten to the point where we could joke about that sort of thing. It actually made us both feel better.

Still, though I said it in a joking manner, I couldn't help being a bit concerned…what would happen if I developed a crush on the man in Ishizu's life? It was unlikely, but what if?

I hadn't had a really serious crush since Yuugi (that was enough to turn anyone off of relationships for awhile) but it could happen.

After all, if he was a good enough man for Ishizu to like, who knew how I'd feel about him?

The doorbell rang, cutting off my worries.

"_Oh God, oh God he's here…okay, Marik, just be nice. He…he sometimes comes off a bit cold, but he's a good guy, really. Just be nice!"_

What was I, five? I didn't need to be reminded to be nice.

The doorbell rang again and she ran off to go answer it.

A couple moments passed and I wondered what was taking them so long.

The thought occurred to me that this guy, whoever he was, might be staying the night. I felt my stomach revolt at the thought. I could hardly imagine Ishizu dating, much less doing…_that._

I tried to banish the thoughts, but they kept eating away at the corner of my mind. Though I rarely worried about Ishizu growing tired of me, I was also aware of how humble this apartment was.

Though she was quickly growing in status at her job in the museum, she still had a ways to go up the corporate ladder before she'd impress anyone with her income.

If she did have a boyfriend that wanted to move in with her though…I had to face the nerve-wracking possibility that she might not want me around anymore.

With that in mind, I was determined to get a look at my competition.

Sneaking around the corner, I glanced out subtly –unfortunately, the gasp I gave over the couples somewhat passionate embrace was less subtle.

"_M-Marik! I told you to wait in the kitchen!"_

"_Sorry Ishizu! You guys were just taking a pretty long time, you know?"_

Okay, so it wasn't nice to antagonize her, but the comical look of complete mortification on her face was just too much to resist.

My commentary also gave me the opportunity to check out her boyfriend. Now that they were no longer sucking face, it was easier to see him.

Tall, pale, with carefully cropped and styled brown hair, and icy blue eyes…pretty handsome looking, I had to say. He'd be more handsome if those cold eyes weren't drilling into me, analysing me like a mathematical equation.

Sensing that I was being sized up, I puffed out my chest, staring at him right back. The silence stretched, and Ishizu looked like she was about to faint.

"_Well…um…Marik, this is Seto Kaiba. He's my…special friend."_

I think we both gave her an incredulous look for that. Special friend? Really?

"_I already saw you guys making out. I'm pretty sure you guys are more than friends."_

My sarcastic comment earned me another hard stare from Ishizu's 'special friend'.

"_So this is the little brother I've heard so much about. I have to say, he has quite a mouth on him."_

"_So this is the boyfriend I've heard absolutely nothing about. I have to say, I preferred you that way. As in, non-existent."_

I knew I shouldn't be mocking Ishizu's new boyfriend, but I couldn't help it. He was being rude!

"_Marik! I told you to be nice!"_

"_What? He started it!"_

This was quickly spiralling out of control. I felt a little bad, since Ishizu had asked me to be nice, but he wouldn't stop staring at me like I was so much dirt under his expensive boots.

"_Marik, please."_

"_Fine. I'll be nice…hello Kaiba-san, how are you?"_

"_Thank you…Marik-kun. It's a pleasure to be visiting Ishizu's house."_

I gritted my teeth as he smiled at me coldly. I felt like puppies were dying when he smiled like that. And the way he said my name it sounded more like he wanted to call me a peasant than Marik.

Not to mention I noticed how he carefully called it Ishizu's house and not mine.

Still, I had promised to be nice, and I would do it for Ishizu's sake. We made it through the rest of dinner without incident, though there were a couple awkward silences.

All I could think about was how this Seto Kaiba would probably rather be anywhere but here with Ishizu's annoying, gay little brother.

The more I thought about him though, the more it bothered me. I was certain I knew his name from somewhere. Some vague memory…and then it hit me.

Smiling to myself, it suddenly became much easier to play nice for the rest of dinner.

While Ishizu seemed surprised, she wasn't complaining either. I even helped with dishes after. Then, I decided it was time to make my move.

"_Oi, Kaiba-san? Do you have a home to go back to or are you staying here tonight to check out Ishizu's expensive lingerie?"_

Glass shattered as Ishizu dropped the cup she had been drying, face absolutely ashen.

"_Marik, what are you" –_

"_Well it took me awhile to remember, but I seem to recall you dragging me to the mall a couple years ago to some store opening with a lot of models. Mai-san said it was for _Seto._ That must be him, right? Have you guys really been dating that long?"_

Ishizu made a strangled choking noise, but said nothing, so I turned to Kaiba instead. To my irritation, he was actually smirking, the first real expression I'd seen on his stupid face.

"_As it happens, we haven't been. While your story is interesting, I can't say I'm surprised. I had a lot of girls that were interested in me during my schooling years, but I didn't have time for dating. You wouldn't understand."_

Was there smoke coming out my ears? I was sure there must be. This guy was infuriating! How dare he turn this around and use it to mock me!

"_Actually, I would! I got Otogi Ryuji's attention at school, and _he's_ a popular upperclassman." _

I'll admit it; I put emphasis on the 'he'.

Stupid Seto Kaiba, and his smug little smirk, bragging about all the girls he could have had at my age.

I bet me talking about boys would wipe the smirk off his face.

While he did stop smirking, it wasn't quite the way I intended. In fact, if anything, he looked more like he was processing the information calmly than anything else.

"_Ishizu, can I talk to you? In private?"_

With that, the two left me alone in the room to clean up the broken glass. I couldn't help being a little worried. I might have really screwed things up for Ishizu with my big fat mouth.

What if he wouldn't date a girl with a gay little brother?

What if Ishizu disowned me for being so rude?

I was left alone with my fears for a good half hour, when finally, I heard the sound of the door closing, and then Ishizu returned alone, looking deceptively calm.

"…_Sister? I-I'm sorry…he just was making me so angry, I wanted to get back at him, but I hope I didn't ruin anything for you. Are you…mad at me?"_

There was a pause, but finally she looked at me, a small smile on her face.

"_No, Marik, I'm not mad. Your antics were a bit much, but Seto didn't seem to mind too much. He actually reacted pretty well. And he was very interested in your comment about this Ryuji Otogi. Why haven't I heard of him before now?"_

"_Oh, well, um, you see I guess it might be a bit of an exaggeration what I said…we only really bumped into each other once awhile ago…but he did say I was pretty! And he is very popular!"_

"_Ah, I see. Well, Seto will be disappointed then. Ryujji's father, Otogi-sama, is one of his biggest competitors in the business world. He was hoping if you were…close, with Ryuji, that you might give him a personal connection with the Otogi household."_

Damn that Seto Kaiba.

Despite my efforts, he still managed to get a foot up on me in the end.

But at the very least, I realized something in that moment.

I knew that I never had to worry about being attracted to the same guy as Ishizu; she had terrible taste in men.

**A/N: Okay, so this chapter is one of my favorites because 1) Kaiba being an asshole is fun to write 2) It reminds me of YGOTAS with Marik's failing evil schemes 3) There actually IS a YGOTAS reference (points to those who caught it!) 4) The 'special friend' thing is totally something my dad once did to my bro and his girlfriend. It just was so comical and awkward cause they'd been dating for like a year already…so yah, that's my story for the week! Hope you enjoyed! ;)**


	11. Lust

**A/N: It's the chapter you've all been waiting for! That's right, "LUST" is finally here, which means –drum roll please- Bakura is in the house, ladies! I'm not going to talk long up here because I'm sure you're all anxious to meet the man of the hour ;) So without further ado, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Not Mine!**

I remember my first kiss.

Overall, it was a pretty unforgettable experience, though not for the usual romantic reasons. I didn't bump into him at school or see him across the cafeteria or anything cliché like that.

Being a growing boy at the age of sixteen, I had complained to Ishizu about the lack of food in the apartment. In response, Seto (that bastard spent way too much time at our house) had tossed a couple twenties at me and told me to keep the change.

Annoyed and not wanting to be around him anymore anyways, I set out, determined to find a way to waste his money.

I was only half way to the grocery store when the alarms in the shop I was passing went off. I found myself standing right outside the front door like a deer in the headlights, wondering if I'd done something wrong.

With a crash, the automatic doors came flying opening. You know those signs that say 'push in case of emergency'? Well this guy took that seriously.

He came flying down the stairs like a deranged ghost with white tendrils flying everywhere and a demonic cackle filling the night air. It was only accented by the store alarm wailing in his wake.

A light flicked on in the studio above the shop, accompanied by shouting into a phone.

"_I'm being robbed! I'm being robbed!"_

A couple seconds too late, I realized the guy was running straight at me and didn't plan to stop.

I took a hesitant step backwards, but all I managed to do was trip the guy.

With a loud curse, he sprawled awkwardly on the sidewalk, nearly dropping his bag of loot.

"_I'm going to fucking kill you, Akefia!"_

Suddenly, he was back on his feet, his face so close I could feel his breath. I gave a manly squeak of surprise and stood rigid in his rough grip, heart about to pound out of my chest.

"_Hm. You're not him, are you? No, definitely not."_

His voice had become deceptively calm for someone who seconds before had sounded like he wanted to gut me.

He backed off a little, still eyeing me warily –long enough to give me an eyeful of pale skin, harsh, handsome features, and dark eyes. Definitely not a look I would easily forget.

Our not-so-romantic moment was interrupted by the sound of a chamber being loaded. The store owner was leaning out the upstairs window, a double barrelled shot gun aimed straight at the thief.

Actually, given our proximity, aimed at _us._

Uh-oh.

"_Fuck. Well, you've seen my face so you better come with me, kid."_

"_Wha –w-where are you" –_

"_I said come on!"_

One strong, pale hand grabbed mine and yanked me along behind him, nearly dislocating my shoulder.

Turned out to be a good thing, because the pebbles by my foot exploded into bits of shrapnel a second later, courtesy of the crazy shop owner.

I didn't need any more encouragement, realizing the shop owner probably thought I was in with the thief. Pushing full steam ahead, I soon found myself dragging _him _along thanks to my long legs.

I must have covered half a mile when he started to slow down, forcing me to also come to a halt.

"_Slow down, kid! What's the rush?"_

"_W…W-we have to…We have to keep…going…the shop…keeper…gun…boom!"_

"_Keh, that guy will never catch us. I know these ally-ways better than a stray dog. If it weren't for that prick, Mariku, he would never have even known I was there."_

I must have looked half crazed, having run about ten blocks in three minutes. I was sweaty with my hair mussed and nearly bent in half just trying to catch my breath, but he looked calm as could be, as well as a little intrigued.

"_You're pretty young to be out on the streets this late…and also far too pretty. A thief like me might come along and try to steal you."_

"_Why does everyone say that when they meet me? And what are you talking about; you hardly look much older than me."_

I knew I was just grumbling, but it was my go-to mechanism when I was nervous, and to say I was nervous in this situation didn't do it justice.

I had just gotten tangled up in a robbery and helped the perpetrator escape!

The pale boy grinned at me, sharp teeth all but glinting in the moonlight. Sliding closer, he lifted my chin with one hand, managing to look taller than me though we were nearly even in height.

"_Probably because you _are_ very pretty."_

"_I" –_

My throat constricted, cutting off my words as he leaned closer, lips very nearly touching mine. I was sure I was going to hyperventilate or have a heart attack or _something._

"_Well someone's nervous." _

He pulled away suddenly, acting like he hadn't been an inch away from kissing me.

Oh Ra, oh Ra, what was happening with my life? Wasn't I just a normal pissed off teenager ten minutes ago?

"_W-who's Akefia?"_

Okay so it didn't come out as toughly as I had intended, but it was better than just squeaking like a little girl which was basically all I'd managed so far.

If I was going to be made a criminal and dragged off into the night, I'd like to know who it was I had to blame.

"_You must have misheard me. I never said the name Akefia. You probably heard me say Mariku. He's my former partner in this crime. This was going to be our last heist together. He was supposed to leave the alarm off. But I guess Ryou got in his head and made him feel bad about it or something…doesn't matter. If he didn't help that means I don't have to give him a cut."_

He gave another chilling laugh, and I shivered a little. He nearly got shot and arrested and here he was laughing about his loot in a back alley way with some person he'd never met.

This guy was crazy. Absolutely bat-shit insane.

And that coupled with his exotic, albino looks was pretty damn hot.

"_Does that mean that I get a cut?"_

That shut up his laughing pretty quickly.

"_What makes you think I would do that?"_

"_Well, I saw your face. I could turn you into the police."_

"_Let me re-phrase that. What makes you think I won't just gut you here where no one will find you till tomorrow when I'm long gone?"_

As though to prove his point, he was once again up in my face, a blade flashing in the moonlight at my throat. I felt my mouth go dry.

The sight of that blade made my back itch.

This was bad, this was very, very bad, oh Ra, what had my big mouth gotten me into now?

"_Because…I'm, uh…too pretty to die?"_

There was a pause, and then another round of loud, unabashed laughter. The knife disappeared back inside his jacket.

I couldn't help noticing that though it was tattered and dirty, it was a very familiar jacket…

"_You've got a smart mouth, kid, I'll give you that. My name's Touzoku Bakura, but most people know me by my work as the Thief King."_

"_My name's Marik. Most people just know me as Marik."_

"_Well, Marik, now you know what I look like and you know my real name. You're probably one of maybe four people in this city that could testify against me based on anything other than suspicion. Can you see where I'm going with this?"_

"_All I see is a guy who isn't very good at bribery."_

"_Oh? I think you'll find I can be quite…persuasive. Especially with someone as pretty as you."_

The next thing I knew I was pinned up against the brick wall of the alleyway. I could hardly breath, certain that I was about to get stabbed for real this time and wondering if I should start saying prayers –or maybe not, because instead of stabbing me, he pressed his mouth against mine, in one hell of a kiss.

Suddenly, I wasn't so focused on being stabbed and much more intent about the hot, hard body pressed against mine, and the cold lips that had just laid a dizzying smacker on me.

I knew I gasped when he pulled away, because I could hear him chuckling but that was about all I could hear over the blood rushing in my ears. The warm body disappeared to my disappointment.

As I took a stumbling step forward, I heard from behind me:

"_It's never good to kiss and tell, Marik. Don't forget that."_

And then he was gone, slipping out of the alleyway like a wraith in the night. I'm pretty sure I stood there for a good five minutes, head still spinning with the realization that I'd just gotten my very first kiss from a thief.

A really hot, sultry thief with an interesting means of bribing his victims, but _still._

Hearing sirens in the distance, I realized, like Bakura probably had several minutes before me, that it wasn't smart to stay in the same place for too long.

Starting back towards home, I felt something weighing down the pocket of my jacket.

Reaching inside curiously, I pulled out a pair of sizeable gold earrings. _Solid_ gold by the feel of them. It was obvious Bakura had slipped them in while he was distracting me with his (incredible) kiss.

As I stared at the precious metal in my hands, I could only think about one thing.

And that was that I now knew that if love at first sight didn't exist, lust at first sight definitely did.

**A/N: BAM. Sassy!Marik meets Thief!Bakura. And who is this Akefia guy that Bakura surely did not mention…? (*cough* notice the deathshipping? Had to be there…) I hope you're all satisfied now that Bakura is finally in the story! Don't worry, we still have a long ways to go ;)**


	12. Pride

**A/N: I'm really excited about this chapter! Mostly because this is the first chapter where multiple people are having a conversation, which meant I had to be really careful with my lack of speech tags. Hopefully it's obvious who's talking! Also, on a personal note it's my two year anniversary…soo I'm feeling extra romantic! Just imagine how much fuel there is for my fangirl fire!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine!**

I remember how I got my very first date.

Usually those come before first kisses, but I guess I've always been a little unconventional.

It was a week after my midnight-rendezvous with the thief known as Touzoku Bakura. Having gotten to school earlier than usual, I decided to head to the classroom in case Anzu or Yuugi had already arrived.

Half way there, I was stopped in my tracks by a terrifyingly familiar laugh. I looked around disbelievingly and finally settled my eyes on the source –which was indeed the white haired thief from the previous week.

He was standing in a semi-circle with a tall, broad-shouldered Egyptian (I knew immediately because he had quite a resemblance to me), another albino who looked eerily like a cleaned up version of Bakura, and Ryuji Otogi.

"_I told you, Bakura. I'll make it up to you eventually. Me and Ryou had a date night, I was leaving in a rush!"_

"_Yah, yah…every night is a 'date night' for you two. You're starting to make me feel like I never get laid."_

"_B-Bakura!"_

"_What? The apartment walls are thin."_

"_Awe, are you a screamer little Ryou?"_

"_Back off Ryuji. I'm the only one who can talk to Ryou like that."_

"_Oh come on, I was just having some fun, Mariku. There are plenty of willing people to keep me satisfied. Ryou's not my type anyways. I'm in the mood for someone a bit edgier."_

"_Whatever you say, Ryuji. You'd screw anything on two legs, the easier the better."_

"_What can I say? I have a rare condition."_

"_Yah, it's called being a man-whore, and it's really not that rare."_

I watched their conversation like a game of competitive Ping-Pong. These guys were all crazy –though I now knew who to thank for my inadvertent introduction to Touzoku Bakura.

Sadly, if seen in daylight, I was certain we would never be mistaken for one another. This Mariku was much more…muscle-y than I could ever hope to be.

But his hair! What did he do, stick a fork in a socket?

With a simpering sniff, I decided I could do better than that.

Remembering my original meeting with Ryuji, a light bulb went off in my head. Pretending to stumble forward, I managed to brush up against his slender body.

"_Wow! What are you –oh, hey Marik! We seem to run into each other a lot, eh?"_

"_My clumsy feet must be trying to send me a message."_

"_Heh, you hitting on me or something?"_

"_I dunno, am I? I thought you were supposed to be the senpai here."_

My bold intro had definitely earned me curious looks from the group of older males. I fought the urge to stand on my tip-toes so I'd be on level with them.

I noted that Bakura was the shortest of the group, but definitely the fiercest looking.

Taking another glance at the big Egyptian guy, I considered revising that. He was pretty tough looking, too.

"_Oh-hoh! Someone's got a mouth on them! Funny, I was just saying I was looking for something a bit edgier for my diet…"_

"_Oh, Ryuji. His only a sophomore. He's not a meal to be had."_

The person scolding him was Bakura's look-alike. Though his hair was properly combed and his face looked much softer and inviting, no one would be fooled into thinking they were anything but twins. Especially not with that shocking white hair.

"_I dunno, he looks pretty delicious to me. You don't mind if I admire you, do you Marik?"_

"_Of course not, Ryuji-senpai. From you, it's a high compliment."_

"_Not that high of a compliment. He'll go for anyone that feeds his ego. Though I'll admit, I like your earrings. They look expensive."_

That cool voice was unmistakeable, even during the day. It seemed even chillier now than it had that night.

Glancing at him dismissively, I found it hard to tear my eyes away from his burning gaze, like he wanted to scorch a hole right through me.

Reaching up, I flicked one of the heavy gold pendants.

"_These things? I guess. They were a gift from my last date. He was kind of a jerk though."_

"_At least you got away with his gold though, eh Marik? And don't mind Bakura. He's got magpie eyes. Anything above 10 karats isn't safe around him."_

I pretended to laugh along with Ryuji, hoping it was just pissing Bakura off even more. I hadn't really thought about what I was wearing when I approached the older boys, but obviously it had worked to my advantage.

I had never really been in the situation to flirt before –while high school was better than middle, there were still a lot of homophobes around- but I was starting to think I was pretty good at it.

"_So, Marik. What do you think? Me and you tonight, hit the bar for drinks and dinner? I know a hot waitress who won't card you if we tip extra."_

"_Ryuji…"_

Ryou's warning bought me a couple seconds to think. I had only planned on making Bakura jealous when I approached the group, just to catch his attention, but it seemed my plan had worked too well.

Ryuji was actually asking me out!

Glancing out of the corner of my eye at Bakura, I was startled to see that he was actually smirking a bit, staring straight at me. Like he didn't care at all if I said yes!

Well, I'd show him.

"_Sure, but you better get my number, because you know I only go after older guys for their wheels."_

I earned more laughter from the group (minus Bakura, I noticed a bit smugly) and wrote my contact information on Ryuji's hand.

His hand had probably held lots of numbers in the past. This was nothing more serious than that.

But just the same, I couldn't help feeling a bit nervous. This was bigger than anything I had expected. This was my first date.

And I didn't know at all if I was ready for that.

But I knew I was going to do it anyways, because I had something to prove, and it turned out I did have some pride to defend after all.

**A/N: I bet when I introduced the chapter talking about a first date you weren't expecting THAT! First ya'll had to deal with YuugixMarik and now we've got some weird RyujixMarik going on! What in the world is happening in this story? You'll just have to stay tuned in to find out ;) (P.S. this is just sort of a whimsical post…I got bored of waiting! I'm too excited to hear what you think!)**


	13. Never

**A/N: Don't underage drink! That's bad! Okay, goodie-two-shoes message is over. Now enjoy this chapter that DEFINITELY doesn't involve underage drinking…at all ;)**

**Disclaimer: Not Mine! (Gosh I'm so lazy with these, I can't even form a coherent sentence…)**

I remember…well…honestly, my memory of my first date is pretty foggy. To say it involved some drinking doesn't quite cover it.

It turns out Ryuji is pretty well known at this bar, because there was a lot of teasing involved as soon as I entered.

That was okay. I knew I was nothing more than Ryuji's latest boy-toy. I didn't want anything more than that.

The point of this date was to make Bakura jealous anyways. I even thought about standing Ryuji up, but then realized I was a sixteen year old boy with zero dating or sexual experience and it was about time I got some.

People dated casually all the time, right?

Yah…well, my nerves were quickly settled after the first beer. It didn't even taste good, but it definitely helped drown the butterflies that were all aflutter in my stomach.

"_So Marik…is this how you normally dress outside of school? Or was this ensemble just for me?"_

"_Eh…this is how I normally dress. Something wrong with that?"_

"_No, no. You won't catch me complaining. I like a guy who's not afraid to show a little skin."_

While I couldn't help being a bit thrown off by Ryuji's heavy flirting, I was also flattered.

I had opted to simply wear my favorite purple hoodie that was, okay, a bit on the short side, and the leather pants which I'd bought with Seto's money a week ago just to spite him.

On the upside, if Ryuji liked them, that probably meant I could attract other guys in them, right?

This date was just an opportunity to learn more about 'dating'. I didn't plan to stay a wallflower forever, after all.

It helped that the alcohol was quickly loosening us up.

You'd think Ryuji would have a higher tolerance than me, but that wasn't the case. When he left for the washroom at one point, the 'hot' waitress he'd mentioned decided to come over and give me some advice.

"_Ryuji's a bit of a wildcard. He's harmless really; a couple slaps will set him straight. You get to know how he is. First, it's the frisky, physical stage. You're best to keep him there if you want a good time. But if you let him keep drinking…then he gets talkative."_

I was left to ponder this. When he returned from the toilet, we ate our food and drank some more.

I found out that his favorite color was red, he had that dice earring because he was always trying to get lucky, and that he lived alone with his father.

Overall, he actually wasn't bad to talk to. I found his company…enjoyable.

It wasn't at all like talking with Yuugi, or Anzu, or any of my other friends. It wasn't just the flirting either. This was a date. It made me realize how lonely I'd been for romantic company.

Unlike Ryuji, I wasn't one of those people who thought that everyone needed some sort of partner at all times, but I was starting to realize it was definitely a nice thing to have.

"_Hey, Ryuji? Did you ever think about just being single for awhile? Like, not dating at all?"_

"_Can't do that, Marik."_

"_Why not?"_

"_I have a rare condition. I need to have sex at least once every seventy two hours."_

"_Why seventy two?"_

"_You know, three days and all that! The magic number! Here, have another shot!"_

Obviously, we had hit the playful stage. He wasn't so much interested in talking and flirting anymore as acting on it.

Since I'd only had my first kiss a week ago, I wasn't quite sure how to handle this, but I think I did pretty well.

I'd been to enough parties that I knew how to move my body, so when he managed to get a quarter into the jukebox, we made quite the pair on the dance floor.

And when dancing turned into kissing, I did alright with that, too. It wasn't as good as Bakura's kiss (in Ryuji's defense, I'm pretty sure he was quite a bit more inebriated than Bakura had been) but it was longer and involved tongue and I learned a lot from it.

When we returned to the bar, it became less about learning and more about figuring out when I was supposed to be drinking and when I was supposed to be making out, and what was I supposed to do when his hand was on my thigh like that?

It felt good, but I also felt a bit guilty. After all, I was sort of just using him. I'd only flirted with him to annoy Bakura, and Bakura wasn't even here to annoy.

My guilt battled my teenaged hormones.

"_So Marik, you wanna take this back to my place~?"_

"_How about another drink first?"_

Not so surprisingly, it didn't take much convincing to make Ryuji drink more. I do not know how he kept that figure if he always drank like this.

It was a very nice figure though…wow, was I drunk, or was I starting to get kind of horny for my date?

I guess that happened on dates with hot upperclassmen.

Unfortunately for me, it looked like I'd missed my opportunity. It seemed Ryuji was transitioning from horny-drunk to 'talkative'-drunk –whatever that meant.

"_You know Marik…I'm pretty messed up aren't I?"_

"_Nah, you don't seem messed up to me. Want another shot?"_

"_Sure, thanks. But that's just the thing isn't it? We all try so hard to hide it, but we're all pretty messed up. Wait, no…not everyone. Just me. Especially me. Whatever. I'm a hot mess."_

"_Hot, I can agree with."_

We both giggled and resumed kissing, a little more eagerly on my part this time, but he pulled away far too quickly for my liking.

"_No, I mean it, Marik. I'm a mess."_

I sighed, getting annoyed with his reluctance. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around?

I started another beer, and it helped wash away my irritation. I was about to make another move on Ryuji, but when I turned to face him, he had his head down in his arms on the bar.

Great. He was probably passed out.

That meant I'd have to call Ishizu and she would _not _be happy to hear from me. For some reason…I couldn't really remember why right then.

To my surprise, Ryuji actually began to talk, apparently not as passed out as I'd believed.

"_I'm a mess, I'm a mess, I'm a mess…Marik, I'm a mess."_

"_So you've said."_

"_You know my dad thinks I'm a total fuck up? All he thinks I want to do is…well…fuck and get drunk. Which I do."_

"_Well, we're already drunk. You wanna fuck?"_

I never would have made that suggestion if I was sober, but it didn't matter, because Ryuji didn't even seem to know I was there. He just continued his melancholy monologue while staring into his glass.

"_Sometimes I just think what am I doing with my life, you know? Other than girls and guys and…everyone's right, I'll do anyone. Just so I don't have to think about anything."_

"_Thinking does get hard, doesn't it?"_

"_I know, right? But when I do get to thinking, I just think I don't wanna be like my dad. I don't want to fall in love and then lose that person forever. My mom, she died when I was like, twelve. Some accident or other. Really fucked up my dad, I mean, real bad. Now all he does is work and hate everything that isn't business as usual. And I can't be business as usual. That's just not me, you know?"_

"_So…you think falling in love will turn you into your father? That why you're such a man-whore?"_

"_You know how I said I need to have sex every seventy two hours? I lied. It's just…my mom died after three days in intensive care. And when my dad had to pull the plug he just lost it. So I figure if I have a lot of sex I'll never have to go through that. Because no one will ever love me enough that I'll care if they leave me, you know?"_

"_Not really. My mom died giving birth to me."_

"_That's rough, man."_

"…_Want another drink?"_

With that, another round of drinking commenced. That's the one I really can't remember. I remember bits and pieces –lots of drinking, lots of kissing, even some wandering hands.

It eventually got to the point where we were both ready to leave.

We tumbled out of the bar into the night air like a couple of giggly school girls. Somehow we got to Ryuji's car. While he fumbled with his keys (I'm pretty sure he dropped them like, three times) I had a moment to cool off.

In what I assume was a drunken moment of ludicrous honesty, I confessed the real reason I was on this date.

"_Y-ya know wut? I…I lied too. I ony said yesh to this date cause I wanted to make…ugh…Bakura jelly."_

This confession in turn made Ryuji laugh so hard that he dropped the keys again. Apparently, after playful Ryuji and talkative Ryuji comes giggly Ryuji.

"_Baka? Jealous? Nahhhh…can't be done. I, ah…I've tried with that boy. Hesh fruitier than a fruity fruit cake…heh, fruity fruit cake…but nope! No Ryuji for him! He…he said…I dunno wha he said! But he said it!"_

Somewhere during this last fit of giggles, we were approached by a shadow out of the night. Not a shadow. More like a ghost. It was Bakura.

"_Well shpeak of the devil! Did you know Marigold wants in your pants?"_

"_As drunk as you two are? I doubt Marik could even find his own pants."_

The jab sobered me up a little. Glaring blearily at the albino jerk, I floundered my way closer to Ryuji's side, pressing myself up against him.

"_I could find Ryuji's pants!"_

"_Good for you. What do you want, a gold star? Now get in the car, I'm driving."_

"_Nuh-uh, Baka-rah…III always drive muh dad's car. He guts pissed if anyone else does…or if anyone does anything…he's always pissed!"_

"_I think he'd be more pissed if you ended up road kill like your mom."_

That shut Ryuji up pretty effectively. Somehow, he managed to get both of us into the car and start us on our way…somewhere.

Couldn't be my house, because he'd never been there, so he wouldn't know the way. I didn't even know the way!

Maybe I was still headed back to Ryuji's.

Maybe we'd have a manly threesome.

The thought made me giggle madly.

"_What's so funny giggly?"_

"_M-manly…three…uh, never mind, I don't feel so good."_

"_You shouldn't. You just drank yourself half to death and were about to get into a car with a smashed idiot. And Ryuji, what the hell were you thinking?"_

"_Fun…"_

"_Never mind, I should know better than to ask you at this point. Aren't you impressed by your date, Marik?"_

"_I…I jus…I wanted to…oh Ra, I'm gonna…"_

The next portion of the ride involved a lot of throwing up and not much talking, though Bakura's smirk in the rear view mirror said it all.

When I was finally done, we were getting closer to our destination, and I was feeling quite a bit more sober.

"_How did you even know to come for us?"_

"…_family rule."_

"_Huh?"_

"_Let's just say I'm used to cleaning up after Ryuji's dates. I happened to come around at the right time tonight."_

Time to throw up again. Apparently I wasn't finished yet. I hoped I hadn't ruined my new pants.

When I came back up for air, my head had cleared again. Enough that I knew two things for sure:

Throwing up in an expensive car was exactly as gross as it sounds, and I was never going on another date with Ryuji Otogi, good kisser or not.

Also, guardian angels are surprisingly harsh.

**A/N: And that, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly how I think a date between Ryuji and Marik would end. Total disaster! And what are these 'family rules' that Bakura speaks of? Hm…let me know what you all think ;D You guys have been amazing about reviewing! I love you all! *heart***


	14. Good

**A/N: Happy Thanksgiving! Yay, turkey and reading week all rolled into one! It makes for a very happy Elle ^_^' And on that note, I'd just like to say how very THANKFUL I am for everyone's amazing support of this story. I've enjoyed every single one of your reviews and I certainly hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

**Disclaimer: Not Mine!**

I remember that the next day was, unsurprisingly, miserable.

Pounding head, dry mouth, everything seemed to bright…not bright enough for me not to notice the black eye Ryuji was sporting when I saw him in the hallway.

He was joking and talking animatedly about his 'wild night' but I could see stiffness in his actions. I wondered how exactly Bakura had straightened him out last night.

Was it bad that I felt a little jealous?

Just thinking his name seemed to call him, because the next thing I knew, I was being dragged inside an empty classroom. I was starting to get used to being dragged around by those strong, pale hands.

When my head cracked against the wall, I was significantly less pleased.

"_Ow. The fuck? Do you understand what a hangover is?"_

"_Yes, and you have no reason to complain. Did you see Ryuji this morning?"_

"_Yah, he had a nasty black eye. You do that to him?"_

"_I don't beat or fuck drunken idiots."_

"_Let me guess, family rule?"_

"_Something like that."_

"_So if you didn't give him that shiner, who did?"_

"_You were the one getting drunk with him, you tell me."_

It was a lot harder to remember that than I thought it would be. After spinning my wheels uselessly for a minute, Bakura let out a harsh sigh, glaring at me furiously.

"_Remember that expensive car that you were throwing up all over last night?"_

"_Oh Ra. No. His dad? He did say…oh…"_

"_I hope you feel better about yourself now."_

"_There's nothing to feel good about. Ryuji doesn't…no one deserves to get beat on for me."_

I shoved Bakura away, suddenly feeling ashamed. My back started to itch, though I tried to ignore it.

The mere thought of Ryuji getting beaten for me…I could still feel the knife slicing its way through my flesh in big block letters.

"_Faggot…"_

"_Excuse me?"_

Whoops, didn't mean to say that out loud. Bakura seemed ready to jump me again and not in a sexy way, so I decided it might be best to explain myself.

"_Just something my father used to call me. He had a heavy hand too."_

"_At least he's in prison now."_

"_How in the hell do you know these things? And for that matter how did I end up at my apartment last night? I don't recall telling you where I live."_

"…_You may not have realized this, Marik, but I'm a thief. That means I case places before I steal from them. I like to keep close tabs on places where more precious things are held."_

Well what do you say to that? I was both flattered and stunned.

"_I don't understand you. One minute you're yelling at me and the next I'm pretty sure you're hitting on me."_

"_Don't bother getting a big head about it. You're hardly the only one. Ryuji is my friend. It's my job to make sure he doesn't make too much of an ass out of himself on his dates."_

"_You still called me precious. And I will be getting a big head about that, thank you very much, there's nothing you can do about it."_

"_You're insufferable."_

"_You don't make any sense. It's kind of hot."_

His head snapped up, a burning intensity to his gaze that made me feel self-conscious. When he took a step towards me, I felt the need to move away from the wall carefully.

He gave an amused smirk, stepping closer again which in turn sent me back another two steps –nearly right over the desk that was lurking maliciously behind me.

Who put that there?

I steadied myself against the desktop and looked up casually, but it's hard to look casual when Bakura is suddenly a foot away and puts a hand on top of yours and oh Ra why was he leaning so close like that?

Needless to say, it was doing unhealthy things to my innards.

"_Hot, eh? You really are a piece of work. I wouldn't want to make Ryuji jealous though."_

He was teasing me. That ass, he was looming over me, just out of kissing reach, and he was teasing me! And he called me insufferable.

"_I don't think Ryuji's going to want another date, anyways."_

"_That's true. He doesn't usually go for second dates."_

"_So, you want to make out?"_

Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes…

"_Keh, you wish. You're going to have to try harder than that to impress me."_

With that, he backed off and slipped out the door, once again an impossible to catch ghost.

Now both my lips and my back were itching, and dammit, he had enjoyed that way too much.

Annoyed, but heeding Bakura's words and trying not to feel too bad for myself, I decided that I should probably at least apologize to Ryuji.

I had only made it two steps out the door when I was once again pounced on, but this time strong fingers hooked under my jaw, dragging me forward for a short lived but passionate kiss.

About a second into it, I realized it was Bakura. I dropped my bag in shock. The second after that, it was already over.

"_That's how you impress a person."_

His purring voice coiled around my head and by the time I had the presence of mind to look for him, he's was just a disappearing blob of white hair in the crowd.

Glancing around, I saw a gaggle of females giving me wide eyed stares. Giving a modest shrug to my audience, I picked up my bag (again) suddenly in a better mood for talking to Ryuji.

It seemed kissing Bakura was a learning experience, because both times I had definitely learned something new about myself.

With this second kiss, I had learned something important about being gay.

I knew that if you were good enough at something, people were bound to notice and be impressed, and Bakura was such a good kisser that he would never go unnoticed, even if he was kissing another boy.

Maybe it was selfish, but I knew I wanted that, and I wanted his kisses, and I definitely, absolutely wanted him.

**A/N: Just to clarify because I know someone will be dissatisfied by that line at the beginning about Marik being 'jealous' of Ryuji's black eye –he wasn't jealous of the black eye, he was jealous that Bakura supposedly stuck around and cared enough to straighten him out, unlike Marik who can't even remember the previous night. As someone who suffered abused, I don't think he'd desire to be beat up…who would? Anyways, other than that, I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hope you all liked it! Once again, happy thanksgiving, and enjoy :)**


	15. Bad

**A/N: Guys, guess what? It's a week till my birthday. Yay! I love birthdays (as can be noted from chapter 8). On a completely unrelated note, here's a new chapter to enjoy! Huzzah!**

**Disclaimer: Cue lazy dismissal of my ownership of Yu-Gi-Oh.**

I remember the day I realized that Ishizu was way too nosy for her own good.

It was a couple months since my infamous first date. Since then, I'd become pretty close with Bakura's group of friends, and maybe a little closer with him.

It was summer break now, so I missed him a bit, but he said when I came back as a junior, I could eat lunch with his friends.

He even said that I might be invited to hang out with them after school if I turned out to be 'good company' (Ryuji had enthusiastically seconded that option).

Since school was starting again in just a week, I was pretty excited. I guess I wear my heart on my sleeve a little, but I couldn't help being cheerful.

Maybe a bit too cheerful, because Ishizu got suspicious when I offered to help wash the dishes for the third night in a row.

"_You seem to be in a very good mood recently, brother. Is there anything I should know?"_

"_I don't know what you mean, sister. School has just been going really well. I'm looking forward to returning."_

"_Oh? That wouldn't have to do with anyone in particular, would it?"_

"_Well, I've made some new friends…they're upperclassmen though so I don't get to see them in class very much. One is even Egyptian like us."_

"_And is this fellow Egyptian…attractive?"_

"_Eh, Mariku? He's good looking _I guess,_ not as good looking as me of course. But he's dating Ryou, Bakura's twin brother."_

"_Bakura? Touzoku Bakura?"_

I glared over at the table where Seto HAD been working quietly. I enjoyed talking to Ishizu. If I was forced to admit it, I kind of liked washing dishes with her because Seto never helped and she paid more attention to me.

"_Yah, Touzoku Bakura. You got a problem with that?"_

"_That boy is a money grubbing worthless thief. You'll stay away from him if you know what's good for you."_

"_S-Seto!"_

"_He is _not. _You don't know anything about Bakura, I'd much rather have him around than you."_

"_I know he's a no good thief."_

"_If he's a thief, then why isn't he behind bars?"_

"_He was touring my facilities with a group of students one day. The next day, I discovered several thousand dollars missing from one of my safes. I know it was him, I just can't prove it."_

"_You wish he was interested in touring your 'facilities'…"_

"_Marik! Why would you say that?"_

"_Because, Ishizu, Bakura is way better than he's making him sound! He's not a thief; he's just looking out for him and his brother! I've heard their father abandoned them and they live alone most of the time."_

"_You've heard? How well do you even know this boy, Marik?"_

"_I know him well enough! I told you, he's an upperclassman; I don't get to see him that much. But he's a good guy! He's even going to let me hang out with his friends after school this week! Ryuji will be there too, I've told you about him."_

"_The boy who took you on a date when you weren't old enough to be dating, much less an older boy?"_

"_It wasn't like that! I was just trying to make Bakura jealous, and he knew it."_

"_How long have you been involved with this boy, Marik?"_

"_Ra, Ishizu, you don't have to say 'involved' like he's some kind of street thug! He's a good guy!"_

"_He's a thief."_

"_Shut up Seto. You're just a judgemental ass."_

"_Marik, you will not talk to him like that!"_

"_I can talk to him however I like, this is my house!"_

"_This is not _your_ house, this is my house, and in my house we don't speak to guests like that."_

"_It's not my fault that he hates me. He's always hated me."_

"_Marik…"_

"_He does! I bet he just hates gay people."_

"_Marik, that's terrible. Seto has never judged you based on your sexuality. I think you need to go to your room."_

"_You can't tell me to go to my room!"_

"_Yes, I can."_

"_You're not my mother."_

"_I'm your guardian and you _will_ go to your room."_

To say it was the worst argument Ishizu and I ever had would be an understatement. The air was frosty at best for days. I was determined not to cave in first.

While I did feel bad for talking to Ishizu that way, Seto had it coming. He's was asshole of the first class. I couldn't believe he would throw Bakura under the bus that way.

Okay, so I knew that he was a thief, but Ishizu didn't need to know that!

And based on their conversations that I sometimes got to be a part of, I was pretty sure that Bakura did do it to support himself and his brother.

It was almost a week before Ishizu was willing to talk to me again, and that was only because school was about to start.

"_Marik, I know you're not going to want to hear this" –_

"_Then why bother saying it?"_

"_I don't want you seeing that boy. He's not a good influence."_

"_You can't stop me."_

"_I'm putting a curfew on you. If you're not home immediately after school there will be severe consequences, do you understand?"_

"_I understand that you hate me and don't want me to be happy."_

"_Marik…"_

"_I don't care, Ishizu. I'm never telling you anything again. You don't care about me at all."_

And that was the end of that conversation. I knew it was immature, but I didn't care.

I knew that wearing your heart on your sleeve was not always a good thing.

Not at all.

**A/N: I think this reflects a lot of what we see from Ishizu in the anime/manga. She's harsh, certain that she's right (which she probably is most of the time) and willing to do whatever it takes to make Marik see that. But it's really because she cares so much about Marik, so can you blame her? (When she's separating him from Bakura, yes!) Also, if any of you are having trouble following the dialogue sans speech tags, try reading it out loud (if you dare..). I find that it makes it a lot more obvious who's talking :) Let me know what ya'll think!**


	16. Honor

**A/N: Okay guys, this is one of my favorites (aside from the Ryuji date)! I hope ya'll are ready for some Steamy McSteamy action! xD And just in time for my birthday! I wanted to wait to upload some Thieffy-pie action so that hopefully I won't receive any unhappy reviews on my birthday...not that I really get any of those, you're all so wonderful, just the fact that you're reading this is the greatest gift I could ask for! ;D**

**Disclaimer: It's my birthday, can't I have it as a gift? No? Okay, not mine!**

I remember how badly the first semester of junior year sucked.

People were finally old enough to throw parties and drive places on their own, but I was forced to come home right away every day after school.

I wasn't supposed to get rides from anyone and I wasn't even allowed to get my own license.

Ishizu had become super controlling, terrified of all the 'bad influences' around me. The only people she trusted me to go out with were Anzu and Yuugi.

While I liked to hang out with them and they were nice, they weren't exactly my type of people. Too…goodie-two-shoes.

Anzu was always talking about her awesome older boyfriend, Yami (who I wasn't very fond of talking about no matter how much she defended him) and that only made me bitterer that I couldn't spend any out of school time with Bakura.

True to his word, he'd allowed me into his lunch group now that I shared the junior-senior lunch period, but that only went so far. Most of their hanging-out happened after school.

I missed so much that most of their conversations didn't even make sense to me. I felt like that loser younger kid that they let hang around with them because they felt bad.

For the first time since the debacle involving Bakura occurred, Ishizu had let me go out to a party. Since Anzu had invited me, she figured it would be okay.

Clearly, she didn't know about Anzu's older boyfriend.

This was a _real _party with thumping music, flashing lights, a mess of sticky, dancing bodies all over the dance floor. Ishizu would probably faint if she could see this.

On the other hand, I hadn't really done anything other than grab a beer. Drinking alone really was a sour sport, though.

Anzu was, of course, on the dance floor with Yami, and even little Yuugi had found people to sway side to side with.

I spotted Jounouchi yelling at Honda and a red haired girl, his sister Shizuka I think, probably being his usual overprotective self.

The thought made me angry, and prompted me to head out alone.

I knew how to dance; I could make something of this party for myself and Ishizu wasn't here to stop me.

As I started to twist and move about, I quickly attracted attention. Before long, personal space was a thing of the past. My breath came hot and fast as people stopped being people and instead became one large grinding mass.

My back began to burn with sweat and maybe a little guilt, but I banished the feeling. Bodies, everywhere. Females only. Not that attractive. Just focus on the feeling. Force yourself. Feel the arousal. Where was it? Come on, they love you. Enjoy it. Why was that so hard to do?

Grabbing hands wanted me everywhere all at once, but I felt nothing.

Suddenly, some of the bumbling, fondling bodies disappeared, being replaced with a body that matched my every move, holding my body tight against theirs from behind.

From the, ah, attachments, it was pretty clear that it was a male.

I ground harder with my hips and the mysterious male responded with a sultry chuckle. It was impossible to mistake that chuckle.

I tried to turn around, but Bakura was having none of that. He kept me facing firmly forward, apparently enjoying our rather sexual dance.

Somehow, grinding on a stranger was a lot less embarrassing than doing it when I knew it was Bakura behind me. Even worse was that he was, of course, very good at it.

"_Bakura."_

"_Hello there, Marik. Funny meeting you here. I thought your sister never let you out of the house."_

"_I told her it was a tea party."_

His seductive voice and laughter at my wit sent shivers all up and down my body. The tempo increased courtesy of him, and more blood rushed to a rather uncomfortable place.

Ra, was there nothing this guy was bad at? I needed a distraction from my little problem.

"_We have to stop meeting like this."_

"_Would you rather set a time and date?"_

"…_Ishizu says I'm not supposed to be around bad influences like you."_

"_What she doesn't know won't hurt her. And isn't it more exciting this way?"_

I realized that the increased tempo in our dance was moving us closer to the edge of the room where the shadows were thick. People only came here to…well…get some limited privacy.

Immediately, any thoughts of distractions flew out of my head as I began to imagine what exactly we were doing here. It probably wasn't a coincidence, at the very least.

"_Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"_

"_That depends on what you think I'm suggesting."_

He spun me around and pushed me up against the wall. He had a thing for that. Must be a dominance quirk. I couldn't say I minded at all, though my problem was only getting worse.

He pressed closer, rolling his hips against mine in a mock dance for a delicious second, earning a gasp from me at his audacity.

This was not the Bakura I saw in school. That Bakura was aloof, maybe sometimes subtly flirtatious, but mostly removed from everyone else.

This Bakura was not subtle at all. His breath was hot on my face, way too close for comfort, and yet not close enough.

"_You're a pretty good dancer, Marik."_

"_I guess you're not so bad yourself."_

And then kissing. Lots of kissing. Really, really great kissing. Kissing that would make any of my other friends blush if they were to come by and see us.

Speaking of people coming by…

"_Oi, Bakura! I see you found our young friend. And here I was thinking I'd staked my claim."_

Ryuji. Of course, it would be Ryuji.

Bakura ripped away from our heated exchange with something of a snarl. It was almost animalistic and kind of hot. Everything seemed pretty hot right now.

"_Fuck off, Ryuji. Tonight it's my turn. Doesn't look like he wants you to me."_

He was right; my wandering hands that had found his perfect ass said exactly what I wanted to be doing right now.

"_Eh, that's fine, there're plenty of people left for me. Just don't embarrass him too much. Take him back to your apartment or something. I think Ryou's with Mariku tonight, anyways."_

"…_If I take him back to my apartment, I might not give him back at all."_

Ryuji laughed and winked at us both before sauntering away. He was right of course, he could take home pretty much any guy or girl he wanted.

But I was also starting to think he was extra right.

We _should_ get out of here.

The idea of more than a make-out was sounding like a great idea, especially to my uncomfortably tight pants.

"_Who says I mind if you don't give me back?"_

"…_Maybe we should just start with my car. It's closer anyways."_

"_Sounds good to me."_

For the second time I made it out to a car with another guy with bad intentions, but this time I was sober and much more intent on what I was doing.

I was _so _ready to entertain any and all of Bakura's bad intentions for me.

An amusing thought occurred to me as he threw me into his back seat, climbing in on top of me.

"_Now doesn't this seem familiar? I seem to recall you stopping me from doing this very same thing with Ryuji not too terribly long ago."_

"_Did it ever occur to you that that's because it was with Ryuji?"_

Obviously not interested in talking, he shut me up with another passionate kiss, straddling my hips. While it felt incredible, I couldn't help commenting on what he said.

"_Hah. Jealous much?"_

Pausing in his work on my belt he glared down at me, pupils blown wide in the overhead light of his car.

Oh Ra, oh Ra, I was about to get laid by the sexiest boy…_man_ I'd ever met.

And we'd never even been on a date.

And I didn't even care, because damn, when his shirt hung open like that, there was just so much to see.

"_Don't go getting a big head. I know a hot mess when I see one. Pairing two together while they're drunk is a recipe for disaster."_

My belt was off, and he was dragging the leather pants off my body, looking so lustful that it was getting hard to concentrate on our conversation.

He leaned in for a moment, kissing me again greedily and slipping a hand dangerously close to the edge of my boxers.

Instead, he grabbed the hem of my shirt, obviously intending to lift it, and I panicked a little, fighting against the action.

My back itched uncomfortably.

He looked a bit curious, but instead went for my neck, leaving a hot trail of arousing kisses in his wake.

Feeling the needed to defend myself, I said:

"_Well…it doesn't matter about Ryuji. I didn't want my first time to be with him anyways."_

Suddenly, the kisses stopped. Bakura pulled back and I glared up at him, feeling cheated.

What was the big deal?

I got a bit more concerned when I saw his expression. It looked like I'd just slapped him.

In retrospect, I guess I sort of accidentally had with that information.

"_Well…fuck."_

"_That's the idea."_

My needy hands tugged at his belt pointedly. He stilled them firmly with his own.

"_No. We can't."_

"_What? Why the hell not? You were more than ready to jump me ten seconds ago!"_

"_Your first time can't be a quickie in the back of some guy's car."_

"_What, so now you grow some honor? Besides, you're not some guy, I know you. And what do you care about my 'first time' anyways?"_

"_Family rule."_

"_I am fucking sick of your family rules."_

"_Get up. I'm driving you home."_

And that was when I knew Bakura was not only the biggest tease in the history of horny teenaged boys, but I also knew that, unfortunately, there is honor among thieves.

**A/N: Woot! Got some action in there FINALLY! Even if it got interrupted...it's something right? And there are those strange family rules again...I get the feeling Marik's getting pretty sick of those ;) Any guesses as to where I'm going with those? Well even if you don't, I'm excited to hear from you all! This story is getting so close to 100 reviews and I just...*wipes tear* you make me so happy with your kindness! I love you all! :)**

**P.S. I have a mini-canon for this story for those of you who wanted Ryuji to end up happy. I mentioned Shizuka there because as we all know, Ryuji canonically fights Honda for her affection in the show. I like to imagine (even though there wasn't room for it in the story) that he either ran into her at this party or soon thereafter and thus started a downward spiral into the depths of fluffy lovey-dovey-ness and desire for a true relationship :) That's not to say he was cured of his fears or habits over night but...perhaps Shizuka could teach him not to fear love once again!**


	17. Complicated

**A/N: Thanks for all the birthday wishes guys! It was basically the best day ever made amazing by REACHING 100 REVIEWS! Thank you all so much *blows kisses to all*. Now without further ado, enjoy this new chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Don't go there. It'll just upset me.**

I remember standing in the rain a week later, cursing my bad luck as I watched my bus turn the corner without me on it.

What was the point of running to catch a bus if it was just going to leave you behind anyways? Stupid detention.

I had been talking to Anzu about the party and of course the teacher chose then to notice us.

Anzu managed to catch up to me, trying to stay covered under her bright pink umbrella. She shot me an apologetic look, though it wasn't really her fault my bus driver was an ass.

"_I'm so sorry Marik. You've just seemed so off since the party…I should have waited till after class."_

"_It's alright, Anzu-chan. Nice of you to be concerned at least."_

She pulled out her cellphone, presumably to call for a ride. I tuned out, glaring at the thick clouds and cold droplets.

Unlike her, I had no one to call.

Well, I suppose I could call Seto who could send a limo or something but like hell I was going to do that. As much as I hated walking home, especially in the rain, it was nothing I couldn't handle.

Not a minute later, a car pulled up at the curb and wouldn't you know it, out stepped my old nemesis, Yami.

Could this day get any worse?

Anzu practically ran to him, greeting him with a kiss. Yuck. I didn't mind people kissing; it just made my stomach turn to think of a nice girl like Anzu with that jerk.

"…_is that you, um, Marik-san?" _

Surprised that I was being addressed, I turned to see it was in fact Yami who had called me out.

Great.

I was wet, my hair was flat, my eyeliner was probably disintegrating in the rain, and Ra dammit I was pissed off already, couldn't he see that?

"_Yami. You here to call me a faggot again? Maybe push me around some more? Because I hate to break it to you but I'm still gay as a rainbow colored unicorn."_

"_No, I'm not here to…harass you. I was just picking up Yuugi when Anzu called to ask for a ride as well. I hear you two were stuck in detention together."_

"_Yup, I got your girlfriend in trouble. Oops. Go ahead, throw something at me, I dare you."_

"_No, no, that's not what I meant…ah, this isn't coming out right. What I meant was to apologize for my past behavior…I guess I've been putting it off for awhile now, but you deserve a proper apology."_

"_No problem, it's only about six years late."_

"_Well, even if you won't accept my apology, I'd still like to offer it. Being with Anzu has changed my perspective on a lot of things. The world is not as black and white as I thought it once was. I shouldn't have treated you that way. There is no excuse for my actions."_

I mulled his words over for a minute. His tone was incredibly awkward, and he could barely look at me, but he seemed sincere.

I hated to believe my childhood bully had really changed, but he definitely made it seem that way. And it was true that Anzu could probably make anyone a better person.

Seeing that I was in no hurry to answer his apology, Yami decided to try a different approach.

"_Maybe as an act of good faith…I could offer you a ride home?"_

The end of his sentence was nearly cut off by the roar of an engine as a familiar old junk bucket came screeching to a halt at the curb. The dramatic engine warranted both of our attentions.

Though it looked different in daylight, I was only half surprised when Bakura half stepped out of the driver's side door. What I didn't expect was his demand.

"_Get in."_

I couldn't help being a bit confused. What was he even doing here? I had hardly seen him since the party the week before. He had seemed more like he was avoiding me than trying to do me any favours.

Seeing that I wasn't going to immediately comply, he got annoyed.

"_Oh for fuck sake…"_

Slamming his door, he made his way out into the rain to where I was standing. The looks he was shooting Yami were cold enough to give frostbite, and Yami flinched appropriately.

What was with them?

To my surprise (again) Bakura was pretty possessive, slinging an arm around my waist, eyes never leaving the older boy.

By my calculations, Yami was two years older than me, which made him one year older than Bakura.

"_You got a problem, Yami? Marik's with me. And if history stands, I don't suggest you cross me."_

"_No problem, Bakura. I was just trying to apologize, whether you believe me or not."_

Yami's voice sounded heavy and disheartened, like this was a scene he was used to repeating. It only served to thicken my curiosity, especially when Bakura sneered, spitting at his feet.

No seriously, he _spit_ at his _feet._

"_See you in hell. Come on."_

With that lovely salutation, he used his grip on me to jerk me towards the car. I gave a little cry, but managed to get my feet under me. He sent me a withering look and I couldn't help being annoyed.

"_What? I wasn't exactly expecting to be kidnapped today, sorry."_

"_Just get in the car."_

Before I could even get my seatbelt on, we were roaring off down the road. Bakura drove pretty calmly despite the sound of his car, but I wasn't fooled.

His pale hands were even paler than normal. He was gripping the steering wheel so hard I thought it might snap.

"_You gonna explain what that was about?"_

"_That homophobic dipshit bullied Ryou to the point of trying to kill himself. I don't care what he has to say for himself, he's nothing more than a little shit as far as I'm concerned and I'd kick his sorry ass again if I had to."_

Well that explained a lot, about both about Yami's change in behavior and Bakura's intense hatred of him.

I almost felt bad for Yami.

But not that bad.

We rode in silence for a couple minutes before I thought it was safe to ask another question.

"_So what were you even doing here today? I thought we were avoiding each other."_

"_Why the hell would you think that?"_

"_Because I haven't seen you since you refused to have sex with me last week."_

"_I refused to have sex with you in the back of my car. There's a big difference between that and refusing to have sex with you at all."_

"_Didn't feel like a big difference last week."_

"_That's because you're an incredibly horny teenaged boy."_

"_And you're not?"_

"_At least I could go out and get some if I wanted to and not worry about being a virgin."_

"_Fuck you."_

"_You'd like to, wouldn't you?"_

"_You know, sometimes I can't tell if I hate you or if I…like you."_

"_Funny, I guess I could say I feel the same way."_

"_You're a jerk. You can't just say 'I like you too, Marik'. You have to be all vague about it and string me along."_

"_Well I was here today right when you happened to need me wasn't I?"_

I thought about saying I hadn't needed him, Yami would have given me a ride, but if I was honest I probably wasn't going to say yes to Yami, even if I was less convinced that he hadn't changed than Bakura.

And I recognized that this was Bakura's way of saying that he had actually been waiting for me after school today.

It was almost a little bit…romantic.

Oh, Ra. My life. What was happening to it?

We jerked to a halt outside my house. He looked over at me, dark red eyes burning straight through me.

No matter how much he pissed me off, he still never failed to attract or intrigue me.

Flipping up the cup holder between us, he grabbed me by my jacket and hauled me closer. I couldn't help holding my breath as his lustful gaze flickered over me desirously.

"_Same place, same time tomorrow."_

"_What?"_

"_I tried avoiding you. Didn't work. So I'm willing to try something else."_

His voice was deep and husky with seduction. Ra dammit, how did he do this to me?

I was a little flattered though. Despite his blunt words, they said a lot.

Couldn't resist me, eh?

"_Do we at least get to make out some more before I decide?"_

He laughed at my suggestion, but had no problem acquiescing to my request. Our lips met in a hurried dash, like we were both desperate to have the other under our skin once again.

As always, sparks flew when we kissed, tongues, teeth and lips going to battle all at once. His hands were inside my jacket, gripping my hips tightly, and my hand was dangerously high on his thigh.

He leaned me back and I almost complained at the awkward angle but quickly realized his goal was to reach the door handle, because the next second I was being spattered with a face full of rain.

Of course, he pulled back fast enough to avoid it.

"_W-what are you…I thought…"_

"_You asked if we could make out. So we did. Now get out before your sister gets suspicious."_

"_What" –_

"_Despite what you might think of me, I will drive away with you half way out the door."_

I needed no more encouragement, annoyed as I was, and clambered out the door onto the pavement, glaring daggers the whole time.

How did he always manage to make a fool of me?

"_Same place same time tomorrow."_

"_Why not right here right now?"_

He gave no answer, simply leaning across the passenger seat to swing the door shut behind me. His dark smirk told me exactly what he would say if he had answered.

Just to piss me off some more though, he mouthed it nice and big while he revved up the engine and gunned it out of there.

"_Family rule."_

"_You are going to fucking explain that to me sometime soon!"_

I shouted it after his disappearing car, even knowing he couldn't hear me, but what the hell. It made me feel better.

Despite it all, I felt a smile tugging at my lips.

We had actually made plans hadn't we?

I didn't dream that?

Looking at my building as I started up the driveway, I knew life was about to get a lot more complicated.

**A/N: BAM. There you go. Was it worth waiting for? You gotta mega thiefshipping AND some closure to the whole Yami thing, which a lot of you were curious about. Let me know what you all think! ;D (And yes I know I trolled you with the rules thing...I bet you were all thinking I'd reveal it this chapter. Whoops!)**


	18. Care

**A/N: Okay, okay! I'm done teasing you all. The answer to that question "what are these insane family rules?" is finally in this chapter, I promise! Hopefully it satisfies all your burning curiosity ;)**

**Disclaimer: Not Mine!**

I remember the first time I really saw Bakura get fed up with something.

I'd seen him angry, but never annoyed to the point of action. We'd been…well…I don't know what exactly, for around two months.

It was a frustrating process.

For one thing, Bakura had his plethora of 'family rules' that were the worst cock blocks you can possibly imagine.

That's not to say I never got any. His mouth was good for more than just spouting vague suggestions.

But try as I might I couldn't get him to go any farther than that.

It didn't make any sense. The more I talked to Ryuji and Mariku and even Ryou (all of whom liked to tease Bakura about his 'young charge' as they called me) the more I was certain Bakura didn't have a problem with sex.

Their lewd suggestions and Ryou's extreme embarrassment about his former nighttime activities all told me that that couldn't be it.

Of course, that left me to believe it had to do with me, and I couldn't think of a single good reason why he wouldn't want at least an easy lay from me.

Ryuji had taken to joking that I could date Bakura and screw him and that way we'd all get the best of both words. He wasn't serious, but that didn't stop Bakura from giving him a dangerous look whenever he suggested it.

If there was one thing Bakura did do, it was be extremely possessive. While he seemed stubborn with his family rules, he also didn't seem to be keen on letting me be free enough to be with anyone else.

Not that I wanted to be with anyone else, anyways. Bakura might have been frustrating as hell, but he never failed to keep me interested.

So our give and take relationship continued. He'd drop me a time and place and then drag me off to wherever he decided.

A bar.

His apartment.

Mariku's house.

Ryuji's bar (as an unspoken rule we never visited his mansion).

He even took me to the movies once. That was probably the closest we ever got to a 'real' date, though we spent plenty of time alone together.

Bakura, for all the things he was very good at, definitely wasn't very good at dating. But I was alright with that.

His very presence was intoxicating enough to make up for any of the more conventional things I might be missing.

Of course, the other frustrating part was Ishizu. Try as she might to control me, I wasn't making it easy for her.

I didn't want to hurt her, I really didn't. I wasn't even angry anymore. I just wanted to be with Bakura. And that was the only thing she didn't want.

She let me get a licence (not that I had a vehicle) and go to parties and have friends over.

She just couldn't understand why the only friends I wanted were the one's she couldn't stand to let near me.

It was a constant struggle.

If I defied her and went out with Bakura regardless of her wishes, I had to deal with the constant guilt of knowing I was letting her down and hurting her.

If I stayed in like she wanted, though, I felt like I'd lose my mind.

Honestly, I never really noticed any of this bothering Bakura too much.

The lack of sex didn't seem to perturb him in any way.

The not-so-real dates obviously weren't a problem for him either.

As far as my problems with Ishizu went, I couldn't see why that would bother him. It wasn't like he needed to feel guilty and if I decided to stay in, well, I always figured he just thought it was my loss.

I guess I just always assumed I was the dog and he was the master that kept me running around.

Sometimes, it made me feel pathetic.

Mostly, it just made me want to prove myself more, do more, show him that he needed me as much as I needed him.

I never realized how true that was until the day I finally, accidentally provoked him into acting on his invisible irritation.

I'd had another fight with Ishizu. She was having problems with Seto and she could hardly handle my unruliness and her own romantic issues at the same time.

I felt bad (mostly because she was still dating that asshole when she could do better) so I told Bakura I wasn't going to be able to go out for awhile. Bakura was just dropping me off for the evening, so I figured he wouldn't care.

Normally when I informed him of one of my 'dry stretches' as the other guys called them, he'd just stare at me blankly and shrug like he couldn't care less.

This time, his reaction was a bit different.

"_Why?"_

"_Because she's my sister and she's done a lot for me in my life. I owe her to not stress her out more than I have to."_

"_Because drawing it out like this and constantly bringing her hopes up and down is really making it better."_

Next thing I knew, his seatbelt was off and he was out of the car. He never got out of the car at my place. I sometimes joked that he was afraid of getting shot if he showed his face.

"_What do you think you're doing?"_

"_I'm going to introduce myself to your sister and get this fucking mess sorted."_

With that said, he walked straight up to the intercom and pressed for my place, despite my avid warnings that this was, in fact, a terrible idea and was just going to make our 'fucking mess' even worse.

"_Hello?"_

"_This is Touzoku Bakura. I demand that you speak with me. You can buzz me in if you'd like, but I'm coming up either way."_

"…_by all means, Touzoku-san. I've been meaning to have a…conversation with you as well."_

With a buzz, to my shock, Ishizu opened the door for Bakura. I followed after him, half stunned. What was going on with these two?

We arrived at my apartment, and I unlocked it with great trepidation. The first thing I saw upon entering was Ishizu, with arms folded harshly across her chest.

Uh-oh. That was not a good sign.

Matters were only helped along on their merry way to hell when Bakura entered behind me, placing what was his usual, possessive arm around my waist.

"_Ah, Touzoku-san. I'd wondered when I'd get to meet the person who keeps my brother out at all hours."_

"_I was also beginning to wonder when I'd get to meet the woman that tries to keep him in like this place is an insane asylum."_

"_Somehow I'm not surprised to hear that from you. I suspected that Marik was getting his lip from you."_

"_I'm flattered, really, but unfortunately he's had that 'lip' of his since before we met. I'd seriously consider thinking about whether or not it might come from you."_

Ishizu sent me an enraged glance. Her face looked unusually pale. I wondered if she hadn't been sleeping well. It worried me.

"_Bakura…at least give her a chance to talk before you mow her down."_

"_Keh, tell her that. She decided a long time ago that I wasn't worth her time."_

"_Excuse me, but I think I can speak for myself without you making assumptions. And Marik, stay out of this."_

"_Ishizu, I just" –_

"_No, she's right. You should stay out of this. It's between me and her. So what exactly is your bloody problem with me?"_

"_I don't think you're a good influence on my brother. You're a thief and he doesn't need that. His life has been hard enough."_

Her voice had become tight and was rising in volume. I got the sense that this 'calm conversation' was about to escalate.

"_I know more about his life than you think."_

"_You don't know anything about our family."_

"_I could say the same to you. While I'll be the first to admit I haven't lived a saintly life, I wouldn't say what I do is criminal. Against the law, yes, but I do for a purpose."_

"_People like you are the reason the law exists. You're simply excusing your own behavior, like you're above others."_

"_Oh? Is it being above others to try and support _my _family? Isn't that what you're doing dating a rich snob like Seto Kaiba?"_

"_How dare you" –_

"_How dare I? How dare I know things about your family? Like, maybe that you're only dating him for his money, and he knows it? These things aren't hard to figure out."_

Ishizu`s face had become positively ashen at this point. I wasn`t sure if she was going to fly off the handle and attack him or start crying.

At the moment I didn't care which.

I just wanted to know if what Bakura was saying was true.

They couldn't be. No, they couldn't. My sister wasn't some slutty gold digger. It just wasn't possible.

The look on her face said otherwise, though.

"_Sister? Is he telling the truth?"_

"_The…terms…of my and Seto's relationship were always very clear. But its"-_

"_Changed? Because he realized he had a heart after all and you fell in love for real? That's all very nice but what do you plan to do about that ring around your neck?"_

I didn't think it was possible for me to be any more shocked, but Bakura's words in cutting off her explanation certainly did so.

Ishizu pressed her hand to the gold chain that was tucked inside her shirt. Glancing at me, I saw that she looked more afraid than anything else.

Her gaze flickered back to Bakura, and he rolled his eyes at her fearful expression.

"_I'm not a stalker if that's what you're thinking. I just made a calculated guess. You may have realized by now that I know a thing or two about jewellery. I know when a woman is wearing a ring on a chain verses when she's wearing a pendant. And I'd wager everything I have that there's a nice chunk of diamond on the end of that chain."_

For a moment, there was a lull where no one spoke. It wasn't exactly a golden silence. I glared furiously at my sister. I didn't like what Bakura was implying but she wasn't exactly denying it either.

Looking back to me, my resolve faltered as I saw the pain on her face.

"_Ishizu…is he telling the truth? Did Seto really give you a…ring?"_

"_I meant to tell you, it's just…it's just…"_

"_She hasn't said yes yet. That's probably why they've been arguing and why she hasn't been sleeping."_

"_I…I didn't want to upset you, Marik. I thought the truth would hurt you too much. I'll admit that our relationship wasn't pure of heart at first, but I just…I didn't want you to miss out on the opportunities that I did because of father. You deserved to go to high school. You deserved to live in a proper home. You deserved to be…happy. I was just trying to protect you, but then Seto and I really did fall in love, and…I know you dislike him. I thought if I accepted his proposal you would hate me."_

My innards twisted painfully. She had really done all that…for me?

I always knew my sister loved me, but I never thought she would go so far just to give me a better life. And now she was even refusing someone she apparently loved (even if he was a dick) just because she thought I wouldn't like it.

"_I would never ask you to put your life on hold for me. You've done enough for me just by giving me a place to live after father…after he did what he did. You've always been there for me."_

She swept across the room, pulling me into her arms in a tight embrace.

I felt my back itch. Talking about father always did that to me.

It was like she knew, because she held me even tighter. I even hugged her back a little.

When she pulled away, she seemed to have recovered from whatever emotional onslaught she had experienced, because she seemed calm when she turned to face Bakura again.

"_I suppose I must thank you for that. But don't expect me to owe you anything for barging into our home like this. What exactly is it you want from me? You've never bothered with this before."_

Despite Ishizu's words, I knew she was lying. She felt she owed him something now, at least for mending this rift between us.

I wondered if that had been Bakura's strategy all along.

"_And don't expect me to again. I'm only here because it's what my mother would have wanted. Don't think I'm here for the pleasure of your company."_

"_I never did. So if you'll be so kind as to make your request, I will see what I can do about it."_

"_I would like permission to date your brother. Seeing as you've also lost your parents, as have I, you'll understand why I'm asking you."_

"_P-permission? You…want my _permission?_"_

"_I'm not going to ask again. I'm not even going to promise that I won't keep on seeing your brother if you say no. But I figured I'd give you a chance to approve."_

"…_Well you're certainly shrewd enough."_

"_I call it honesty."_

Ishizu looked at me carefully. My heart leapt and I gave her my most pleading look.

While I knew I'd have to have words with Bakura about this conversation later, it didn't change my desire to…_date_ him. (Oh, Ra, he wanted to date me)

"_Sister please…this is all I want. And he'll…take care of me. I know he will."_

"_Marik, do you really think your pleading is going to change her mind when it hasn't up until now?"_

"_That only proves how ignorant you are about this family, Touzoku-san. Marik's desires mean a great deal to me. I only wish for his safety and happiness. And as long as you provide that…I will allow you to see him."_

Bakura stared at her for a moment, as though assessing the honesty of her answer. Giving a small head jerk in acceptance, he turned and headed straight for the front door.

"_You've got five minutes if you're coming."_

With that, he was gone out the door, like he'd never been there. I blinked, stunned at his abrupt exist.

"_You should go with him, brother."_

"_Are you sure sister? About…all of this?"_

"_If you can put aside your distaste for Seto in order for me to be happy, then I won't stand in your way."_

We embraced tightly, once again loving siblings. It seemed impossible that our conflict could suddenly be resolved. I wished I could show her how grateful I was.

An idea occurred to me at the last second as she pulled away, the large diamond ring swinging out from behind her shirt. Reaching out, I grasped the chain, pulling it off her head.

I removed the ring, studying it for a moment before offering it to her.

"_You should really be wearing this on your hand. I think Seto would like that."_

I gave her one last reassuring smile and then bounded out the door. Five minutes wasn't a large margin, and I wouldn't put it past Bakura to leave without me.

I made it down the stairs, through the lobby and out to the curb in the fastest thirty seconds of my life.

Collapsing into his passenger side, I tried to catch my breath, glaring daggers at him.

He shot me an amused smirk, and then yanked me forward for a languid kiss. It really did nothing to help me catch my breath.

"_You bastard."_

"_I wanted to see how fast you'd run if you thought I was going to leave."_

"_You definitely know how to turn a situation into a hot mess."_

"_Are you referring to yourself or the heart to heart I just had with your sister?"_

"_You're a dick."_

"_I'd say there's more to me than _just_ my dick."_

"_Shut up."_

More kissing. Always my favorite way to stop his stupid witticisms.

I was pretty sure dating such a clever person would probably kill me someday, but until then, I'd stick around for the ride.

He broke away from our kiss, earning a mewl of disappointment from me.

"_Even if your sister hates me, there is some good news, you know."_

"_Oh?"_

"_You managed to clear the last of my family rules."_

"_That's great…I think. Not that I even know what those are."_

"_Something my mom used to do before she died and my dad abandoned us. She'd decide on a rule and write it down on a list. Eventually it got so long she had to break it down into categories."_

"_Stuff like your first time having sex couldn't be in the back of some guy's car?"_

"_Yah. She had pretty high standards for us. Another was that if we ever really cared about someone, we needed the approval of their parents before we let things get serious."_

"_O-oh…and I've…made it through the list?"_

"_I figured if Mariku could, you'd manage somehow."_

"_Does that mean…we can…you know?"_

"_If you want to come back to my apartment with me, we can tonight."_

"_I thought you'd never ask."_

And that was when I knew, for the very first time, that Bakura truly cared about me.

**A/N: Was it worth the wait? I really hope so! Please, please, please let me know! I'm really excited for feedback about this chapter! :)**


	19. Completely

**A/N: Sorry for the late upload! I'm currently working on (passing school) writing a story for the Young Justice fandom. If you're into that show, please check it out! It's my newest obsession. But aside from that, Thiefshipping will always be my favorite ship, no matter how many times I retire from fanfiction ;)**

**Disclaimer: There's a guy. Or a girl. I'm actually not sure. But they own everything, and I am quite certain that they are not me.**

I remember going into my senior year of high school and realizing that Bakura wouldn't be there anymore.

The perils of dating an upperclassman.

We had become increasingly well known as the resident mischief makers at our school.

While Bakura was still terrible at actually dating, he was very good at making it known that we were, in fact, a thing.

And I wasn't just Bakura's little bitch, either. We were…partners. I would even have people come up to me and say that they admired our blatant relationship.

I would always tell them it helped to have a boyfriend that scared the crap out of most people.

And of course there was Ryuji, Mariku, and Ryou. None of them could compare to Bakura, but it would be a lie to say I didn't think highly of all three.

After me and Bakura began 'really dating' (I still don't know what exactly we were doing before) they initiated me into what they called 'the fruitloops'. Something Ryuji came up with when he was drunk off his rocker apparently.

Whatever.

It was good to feel like I belonged for the first time.

It hadn't really sunken in that Bakura would be graduating.

I mean, I knew I wouldn't see him at school anymore, but that was hardly a big deal. We spent more time together after school anyways. In-school was more about presenting an image.

I just didn't realize that school wasn't going to be the only thing that would change after he graduated.

In retrospect it should have been obvious but things are often much clearer when you're looking back.

"_Right after school today, meet me at my car."_

That was Bakura's way of asking me out. That was fine by me. He 'asked me out' nearly every day. I was only too happy that he didn't specify a place. That usually meant it was going to be a, ah, _sensual_ date.

As usual, I showed up where he requested after school. He was a bit unusually quiet on the way to…wherever, but I didn't get concerned, yet.

It was when we arrived at the rusted out old garage he usually went to but didn't make a move to get out that I started feeling worried.

"_Bakura…?"_

"_Come on. There's someone I want you to meet."_

"_You know this place gives me the creeps."_

"_We don't have to stay long if you don't want to."_

Well, that was somewhat comforting. Bakura's 'garage' was mangy looking at best, and if that wasn't enough to turn you off, than try the fact that Bakura didn't get to be himself around places like this.

Here, he was just the Thief King. The guy in a ratty old school uniform, aviators, and white hair that made you feel as though you were talking to a ghost.

People who only knew him as the Thief King weren't too fond of him bringing along guests. That meant me.

To say I didn't enjoy being stared at like an expired piece of meat didn't quite cover it.

Still, he seemed intent on being here, so I'd just have to suck it up. As we got out, I noticed that he'd left his sunglasses behind.

"_You forgot your aviators."_

"_Don't need them for this."_

And so the mystery thickened. We entered the garage, letting the door swing shut behind us with an ominous creek.

The light flicked on overhead, though neither Bakura nor I made a move to do so.

This was definitely starting to feel like the start of a bad horror movie.

A rustling accompanied by gentle clangs accented the still air within the garage, and I spotted the legs poking out from beneath a raised car. Whoever it was was hidden beneath the vehicle.

How convenient for our mock-horror story.

Bakura stared at the protruding legs, analyzing them for a moment before saying:

"_It is I, your prodigal son, humbly returning in search of your forgiveness and blessing."_

I jerked back, earning a raised eyebrow from Bakura. I don't know how he expected me to react.

While that was, indeed, what he had said, that's not how it sounded. He'd said it in fluent Arabic, albeit with a terrible accent, but grammatically sound, as though he spoke it as naturally as Japanese.

"_Welcome home, my son. Shall I throw you a feast?"_

The voice came, echoing eerily from beneath the car. It was a deep, knowledgeable voice, rich with worldly experience. And while this was also said in Arabic (my first language), this time the accent was perfect.

Since moving to Japan, I had only met one other person, outside my sister and I, that knew even conversational Arabic, and that was Mariku. Unlike me, he didn't have someone to converse with at home, so he'd lost much of his original tongue.

It seemed too coincidental that this stranger Bakura was meeting with also happened to speak Arabic, and now suddenly Bakura did too!

"_Only if it's a vegetarian feast. Unless I'm not invited?"_

Bakura whipped about this time to give me a glare that, while fierce, was just his way of masking confusion. I tried to hide my smug satisfaction, enjoying the way my perfect accent accentuated the Arabic words in a way his did not.

Though I had left my homeland at a young age, my Egyptian heritage had always been of great importance to me. Arabic was a language I could speak with my family members that almost no one else here would understand or be able to eavesdrop on.

"_He got you there."_

This time, the voice was speaking Japanese. The accent still hinted longingly at my favoured Arabic tongue. It made me even more curious about this hidden man. He must be Egyptian if his voice was still accented even after switching languages.

"_So you speak the tongue?"_

Arabic again. Definitely directed at me. I could tell from the way Bakura was staring at me intensely, waiting for me to respond. Waiting for me to mess up, maybe.

"_No."_

A chuckle came echoing out from beneath the car, where the man was just rolling himself out from underneath. He made no comment on my sarcastic response, but when he glanced over me, it was with a more affectionate eye, I thought, than he might have.

"_So you decided to show up after all. It's good to see you Bakura."_

"_And you…Akefia-sama."_

I jolted slightly, once again surprised. That name…_Akefia._ I knew it. That night Bakura and I had first met in the middle of his attempted (successful) robbery at the jewellery store.

It had been Mariku that was supposed to be helping him with the heist (as confirmed by Mariku later) and though he claimed it was so later, it wasn't Mariku that Bakura had called me upon seeing me out of the corner of his eye.

It was Akefia.

Bakura had mistaken me for this man the first time we met, but then denied his existence and never again mentioned him.

Akefia…

"_Don't bother with the formalities. From what I've heard you've picked up my mantle pretty well, oh great Thief King-sama."_

From the side of the room, he came striding forward, tall and looming, giving a mock bow to Bakura.

He was broad shouldered, rippling with muscle from head to toe, and a deep, delicious shade of brown.

Despite his fairly young facial features, his hair was a grey color. Most noticeably even beyond that, was the scar running down the side of his face. It was both striking and dark.

It spoke of a man who did things that the surface world would frown on.

If I was forced to admit it, I would say that I felt intimidated by him. He was smiling, mauve eyes all but sparkling and I still felt certain he could kill me in a second if he decided to.

Bakura didn't seem to be having that problem. He sized himself up to the other man without flinching, face so still it could have been carved from marble.

"_So this is the guy, eh? You said he was pretty but…you didn't say this pretty."_

"_I guess I just didn't want you making any plans to steal him from me."_

The man, Akefia, let out a bellowing laugh which was so startling and out of character for his dark appearance, that I hardly knew how to react.

It was only second to that that I realized they were, of course, talking about me.

The laughter settled, drying into a low chuckle in the man's chest as he appraised the two of us cheerfully.

"_You've hardly changed at all, kid. I still like your spunk. And you still know your place. Ah, it's good to see things haven't gone to waste. But just remember, this life isn't a permanent one. Just the first of many."_

"_I know, Akefia."_

Something flashed in the older man's eyes, a glint that I wouldn't classify as dangerous, but certainly cunning.

He tilted his head at Bakura quizzically, almost innocently. I was starting to think he was a bit deranged. What did he even mean the first of many lives?

"_Maybe you have changed. There was a time when you wouldn't have dared to refer to me as just Akefia."_

"_That's how you told me to refer to you. It's just as well. I'm not used to calling anyone by the sama title anymore. That is how people call me now."_

"_And that's the way it should be. But don't get too used to it. That's just as dangerous as letting it become permanent."_

"…_I guess so."_

"_You'll understand."_

"_I'm sure. I'm always just a couple steps behind you."_

"_Then I'm at least ten steps behind both of you."_

They both swung to look at me, breaking their intense (somewhat crazy) exchange. It was almost as though they had forgotten I was there.

Akefia's face split into a crazy grin, and I figured I had somehow gained his approval. Great, I had the approval of a crazy man.

That's exactly what I wanted when I agreed to today's 'date'.

"_I'm sorry, Marik-chan, we are sort of leaving you out, aren't we? I bet he hasn't even told you what you're doing here yet."_

"_I thought we were having a tea party. I didn't know we were inviting escapees from the local insane asylum. Do you take sugar or cream?"_

"_Always cream."_

He made it sound like a sexual innuendo with his wicked grin and glinting eyes. The look made me uncomfortable.

Probably because he just seemed so pleased that I was talking back to him.

"_He reminds me a lot of a younger you, Bakura."_

"_That's because he is young."_

"_Not too young though."_

Despite the fact that I had still gotten no answers, I could sense that the confrontation was over. Bakura's body had relaxed minuscule from its rigid position, and even Akefia seemed a little less…on the edge.

With a short nod to both Bakura and I, he walked over to the door, putting his hand on the doorknob before glancing back at us.

"_Your car is out front?"_

"_Yes. And what you promised?"_

"_As always. It's in the back. Try not to make too much of a mess."_

With another deep throated laugh, he made his exit, leaving me even more confused than I had been before.

"_What was he talking about, Bakura? What's in the back?"_

"_Come with me."_

"_Tell me what's going on first."_

"_It'll be clearer if you come with me."_

"_I don't care."_

"_You're being stubborn."_

"_You're being your usual mysterious self. Just give me the sparknotes version."_

Bakura gave a sound of annoyance, folding his arms across his chest.

My heart skipped a beat despite my best efforts to be annoyed with him. He didn't know how gorgeous he always looked whenever he struck a pose like that.

Or maybe he did. It always got to me, regardless.

"_Fine. Akefia was my mentor when I first got involved in the world of thievery. He was the best and he decided to take me in and teach me. It was the only way to provide for Ryou after our parents died."_

His mouth quirked up slightly, and I shifted uncomfortably.

It was dark humour. His father hadn't actually died –as far as I knew he was still alive and out there somewhere. But he might as well have for the way he'd abandoned the twins after their mother's accident.

"_Eventually, he decided to move cities and take his advice with him. I was to stay and be his…let's say, protégé. I picked up his former title, the Thief King, and continued his heists. He said he would return when I was finished my second life. He always referred to important things as 'lives'. To be a thief was one life. To go to school was another. To be with you…is another. I'm not sure if he ever intended to take me back after I finished school, but it doesn't matter, he won't now. He wanted to at least get a final say in the choices I'd made though. And at my request, he also managed to acquire something for me, in return for my car."_

"_You gave him your car? Must be some favour."_

"_I'm going to need a new one for what I'm planning anyways. And he needed the anonymity. Besides, I think you'll be more agreeable when you see what I traded it in for."_

"_Oh?"_

"_Just trust me. Or come see for yourself, if your highness is ready."_

I snorted at his usual witticisms but followed him into the back.

I was still trying to process everything he'd just said. The most important being, of course, the implication that I was the reason his former mentor wouldn't take him back.

Something about me being his 'other life' or something crazy like that.

What it amounted to was that I was a distraction, and apparently one Bakura wasn't willing to be without.

The thought, admittedly, made me feel a bit giddy.

Times that by two when I stepped into the garage and saw a gleaming red motorcycle, every bit the match for the one I had seen when I was ten years old. Okay, so it probably wasn't its twin or anything, but it hardly mattered.

It was _gorgeous._

"_What…what is this?"_

Bakura didn't answer, giving me a moment to run my dazed hands over its sleek, beautiful body. For someone who had never even owned a vehicle, this was practically more than my eyes could handle.

I turned back to face Bakura, still shocked at the obvious implications of the mysterious bike. He was staring back at me, calm and aloof as ever.

"_Bakura, what is this?"_

"_It's yours. If you want it, that is."_

I turned back to look at the bike one last time. It was a powerful, sensual machine, the type I had dreamed of driving my entire life (or at least since I was ten).

Beyond that, it had greater meaning to me than even Bakura probably knew. It was the sign of a new 'life' that I had begun. It was the moist poignant thing I remembered from the day I discovered I was gay.

In many ways, it symbolized, to me, at least, acceptance of who I was.

And Bakura was giving it to me.

He had given away his car so that he could _give it to me._

Turning back around, I locked gazes with him again. His, dark and brooding, mine alive and burning with desire.

He immediately saw the change in me. It wasn't just my usual penchant for sex, it was more.

I wanted him, all of him, right here, and right now.

It was a good thing there were no family rules prohibiting having sex on the floor of a shady, run down garage, because there was no stopping us from getting it on right that second.

Rarely was I the dominant one (I recognized that it was important for Bakura to feel in control, for whatever reason) but today was an exception. It was all about showing my appreciation, and more than that.

I needed to move with him, to make him know that whatever he was sacrificing, it wasn't going to waste. I was worth it. We were worth it. Whatever he felt for me, I felt it, too.

In that moment, all I wanted was him and me forever.

The bike was pushed to the back of my mind, just a material gift. An impressive one at that, but it was what it said about us that mattered more. It was cheesy, but it was true.

Bakura didn't just give stuff away for no reason. He was a thief, and obviously more inclined to take than give.

Of course, the moment couldn't last forever. Too soon we were lying together on the garage floor over a blanket that Bakura (scheming as always) had placed temptingly nearby in advance.

I still held myself over him, watching him pant, sweet release taking its toll on our now exhausted bodies. It never lasted long, but softness came in these in between moments. Softness enough to bring words to my lips.

"_I want you."_

"_I think we just established that fact."_

He shot me a wolfish grin, the closest he came to congratulating me on a job well done. I wasn't interested in affirming my prowess in bed, however (though I might gloat a little bit about it later).

"_I meant always. Me and you. Forever."_

He sighed, not so much in relief or light heartedness, but as a man does when he has bad news.

My gut contracted, fearing what exactly it was that prompted that sigh. The after effects of our (really magnificent) sex might have brought out a softness in me to say what I normally would be afraid to but it didn't diminish the truth of the words.

I wanted him so badly. More than that, I wanted him to want me in the same way.

"_I know."_

"_This isn't Star Wars, Bakura. There isn't a sequel. Just give me a straight answer for once."_

"_You won't like it."_

"_Then why all this? Why the bike and the…and the Akefia and the sex and everything? Why even bother?"_

I found myself on my back quite abruptly, Bakura's naked body pressing me down onto the blanket with his fierce expression mere inches from my face.

I swallowed a little. I had to focus on what we were talking about. It was more important than any sexual desires at the moment.

Hopefully, there'd be time for that later.

"_Because you need to understand. Things are going to change, Marik. I won't be in school next year. I won't be tied down to this city anymore. Things are going to take me away. But I'll come back for you." _

"_Is that a promise?"_

He remained silent as he rolled off me. My hair shifted as I lay on my side, looking him straight in the eyes.

For the first time, I saw an expression outside of Bakura's usual repertoire. It was a tortured, silent expression of conflicting truth and desire.

It told me exactly what he couldn't bring himself to say out loud.

He couldn't promise me that he'd always come back.

He might promise that that's what he wanted, but there were no absolutes. He was living the life of a thief. And there were no guarantees in that.

As we lay on the garage floor, staring at one another in mutual pain of what was sure to be a stretched relationship at best, a horrible truth occurred to me.

I was still looking in his eyes, still hearing all the things he was too afraid to say. As much as I knew the truth about what the next year was going to be like, I also realized an even great truth.

I knew in that moment that I was completely in love with this bastard, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.

**A/N: Well...that was...angsty...waah, editing this chapter made me terribly sad T_T Poor Marik, I was so mean to him in this story! Hopefully next weeks chapter will be nicer to him. Also, what did you all think about the reveal of Akefia? Did you remember him being mentioned way back when Marik and Bakura first met? Were you surprised? Please tell me, I'm very curious! Hopefully you all enjoyed :)**

**Also I'd like to apologize for my lack of answering reviews! I will definitely try to do better with that this week, but I've just been so busy with school...I knew post-secondary was going to be a lot of work, but it's A LOT of work...*sigh* not nearly enough time to write anymore...T_T I do appreciate every single review though, and I really appreciate that you all take the time to leave them! *Heart***


	20. Wait

**A/N: Oh my gosh, you guys are awesome! I'm so glad you all enjoyed that heart-wrenching last chapter...and I hope you're prepared for an even bigger boatload of angst this chapter! Also, I'm sad to say this is the PENULTIMATE chapter. That's right, second to last...I've enjoyed this story so very much, and you guys have made it absolutely wonderful! I'm not going to get too sappy, because there's still another chapter to go, but I just wanted to say how much I love you guys and how much you've made this story a success in my mind :)**

**Disclaimer: Only that sappy author's note and the angst-y story line to come is mine..**

I remember that horrible in between time.

Three months and then a visit. The next time, only a week before he reappeared. Never an answer about how long until he'd come around again.

It became an unspoken topic.

He'd appear. We'd have a day, maybe two at best.

Then he'd be gone again, like a ghost, fading in and out of existence without a word.

Or like a drug that I couldn't get enough of, never knowing when I'd get my next fix.

It taxed me, made me want more, made me want to quit, made me want to rip out my own hair in madness. Because that's what this was.

Pure madness.

No one could really live like this and not lose it a little around the edges. I was losing it a little more than just around the edges, though. I was losing it everywhere.

Weight. Grades. Relationships.

Mostly, I was just losing focus, spiraling downwards.

I used to think it was pathetic, people who put so much into a relationship that they couldn't pull it together when the other wasn't around. But this…this was worse than anything I ever could have imagined.

The first week without him, my spirits would stay high. Memories of our time together keeping me afloat.

The next week, things started to simmer, burning up what reserves I had left.

Soon after that, it would all crumble again.

Darkness was sucking at my heels, making my back burn, trying to pull me under.

At times, I was beginning to like it when my back hurt. It reminded me of when Bakura first saw my scars, first laid eyes on them, ran hands over them, told me I was more than them...it was during our first time, that night after his 'talk' with Ishizu.

On the way there, he could tell something was wrong. I was excited to actually have sex, yes, but I also knew that there would be no more excuses for keeping my shirt on, for showing him the ugliest part of me.

_"Marik",_ he was still driving to his apartment at breakneck speed at this point, "_what's wrong?"_

_"Nothing."_

_"There is. I think I've known you long enough to think you'd be a bit..."_a vague hand gesture, probably trying to describe my nerves in some non-sappy way,_ "more excited. If you're not ready-"_

_"I am. It's not like that. You know it's not like that."_

_"Good. Because I don't know if I have enough willpower to turn around at this point."_

I laughed, shaky at best. We were going to have sex. Strangely, I wasn't concerned about how the actual sex went -I was more concerned with it actually happening even after he saw those ugly scars. Maybe he'd be revolted.

Maybe he'd suddenly find all sorts of willpower to turn around and leave me.

_"Stop the car."_

He didn't need to be told twice, almost like he knew I was going to ask him. I'm so cold and afraid at this point that I think he might have been wondering if I'm about to throw up.

I couldn't throw up even if I wanted to, though. That would be too easy.

_"Marik, I was serious when-"_

_"Shut up."_

I didn't even wait to see if he would, I was already twisting around in my seat, pulling my shirt off with fumbling fingers before I could chicken out.

There was a moment of silence, a pause that seemed to last an eternity.

_"You know, I'm flattered that you're so eager to get started, but the rule still stands that we're not going to do this in the car. At least...not the first time."_

I nearly choked on his unabashed, seemingly unaffected words. Could he not see them? I couldn't even see them, but the knowledge that they were there pressed on my chest like an anvil.

_"It's -It's not about...I mean, don't you see them? Aren't they...hideous?"_

Another pause, though not so long. This time it was broken by my own gasp, as one cold fingered traced the 'F' cut deeply into my back by my left shoulder. It burned and stung, my eyes beginning to water.

Despite knowing how much pain I must be in, he didn't stop, simply moving on to the 'A', taking his sweet time.

When he reached the first 'G' and my breathing had become positively ragged, he finally began to talk.

_"You think I didn't already know about this, hm? That's a nice fantasy. The moment you first were more squeamish about taking off your shirt than your pants, I knew it was something worth looking into."_

He was finished with the second 'G' and onto the 'O' now. The pain seemed to intensify with my fear, the closer he got to the end. What would he say when there were no more letters to trace?

I didn't have to wonder for long. Tracing the scar of a 'T' can only take so long.

His hand dropped away from my back with a sigh. There was a rustle of movement, and then I felt myself being pulled backwards, my burning back settling against the coolness of his clothed chest.

_"B-Bakura -"_

_"They're not hideous, Marik. They're just the mark of a...past life. A part of you that makes you who you are today. And since I'm rather fond of the you I know now, I cannot truly regret that they were inflicted upon you."_

_"You...you like them?"_

_"I wouldn't say that. I like that I have you, and I like...you. They are a part of you. And I don't hate or find any part of you displeasing. Do you understand?"_

_"I don't think so. I can't imagine not hating them."_

_"That's because you can't see yourself in the same light that I do."_

_"Are you trying to be romantic?"_

_"If I was, it was an accident, I assure you."_

_"Well, you certainly know how to ruin the mood."_

_"Oh, you don't know anything of how I set the mood."_

_"Is that a suggestion I sense?"_

_"If you're finished with your existential crisis, I could certainly show you."_

_"Hm, you should have joined the debate team. You're very convincing when you want to be."_

_"Now would that really have been fair to the opposing team if I did?"_

These memories both pleasured and tortured me in the in between times. I would wait desperately for him to return. I'd think of our first time. I'd think of his acceptance of my hideous scars. I'd think of...him.

But soon thoughts of him just wouldn't be enough.

I would be sure I couldn't make it, and then he'd appear again, bringing me back to life.

It was a mess. Not even a hot mess anymore. Just a cold, broken mess.

This time, he came back too late. I didn't want to be brought back. I just wanted to be let go.

"_I can't do this anymore."_

I finally said it, shrivelled in his embrace after compassionless sex.

My body was there but my mind wasn't, and he knew it. But he kept trying to bring me back.

Desperation. I sensed it in him, too.

He didn't show it like I did. Instead, I got his wrath that I had the audacity to quit.

"_Yes you can."_

"_No."_

"_You're just giving up."_

"_Fine. I'm tired of trying."_

"_You can't give up."_

"_Yes I can. It's not worth it. Hurts too much."_

"_You're being pathetic."_

"_I don't care."_

"_Well you should! It's disgusting. You're just weak."_

His words ignited something in me, like the spark on a rope leading down to a pool of dank, swarthy, foul emotions that had just been sitting inside me, weighing me down for months on end.

"_Of course I am. Of course I'm weak. You know what makes me weak? The fact that I need you. I should have known better than to ever need anyone. I should have taken that lesson from Ryuji back when I had the chance."_

"_Well it's too late for that now."_

"_No, you know what? It's too late for this. It's too late for you to try to tough talk your way out of this fucking mess you've made of me. You have no idea what it's like."_

"_Don't I?"_

"_No, you don't. You're the one who chooses to leave, every time. And you know what? I let you. Because obviously, that's what you want. To leave and come back for a couple of good times, good memories, just so you can leave again! Well that's fine. I'm done with just lying here week after week, moping, waiting for you to come back and pretend to care about me."_

"_Good. It's pathetic."_

"_You don't even get it, do you? The pathetic part is that I didn't need Ryuji or anyone else to tell me. I could have learned it from my father. I saw what happened to him. Maybe it was my fault, maybe it was my mother's fault, it doesn't even matter. He told me before anyone else needed to."_

"_You're being melodramatic."_

"_Melodramatic? Fuck you, Bakura. Fuck all of this. He should have just written 'Bakura fucking Touzoku' across my fucking back for how pathetic I am, because all I can think about is you, and whether or not you're even going to be there when I wake up in the morning, and how long it's going to be till I see you again and how I'm going to" –_

No more words. Just lips, kissing, fierce and hurting.

It wasn't about the sex this time, it was about hurting one another, pushing each other to our limits, because it had gotten to the point where we hated each other but didn't know how to do anything else other than be together.

Was it worse to live like this or to live lives that didn't include each other at all?

I was tired of thinking about it. It was easier just to take what Bakura was giving me, the opportunity to punish him with more than just my words.

He took the pain, the biting, the rough and unpleasant sex.

That's not to say it was better for me. Every wince of his hurt me just as much.

I hated this, but I wanted him to know. It was wrong, very wrong, but I wanted him to know how much it hurt every time I woke up and he wasn't there.

It wasn't like in some cliché movie. There was no rose on my pillow, no note, no indication of whether he was just in the washroom or gone for good.

Or if he ever planned to return again at all.

It was madness.

Complete and total madness.

We lay there, panting, exhausted and in pain after the act. I wondered how stealthy Bakura would be feeling in the morning, trying to creep away while every one of his muscle protested.

The thought amused me, darkly.

As if in contradiction to my surety that he would be hampered by the violent experience, he reached out to me. Grabbing me around the waist (possessive grip still intact, I see) he dragged me closer, forcing me to look him in the eye.

Our breathing was still harsh, the event still raw and fresh. His glare was intense, not cooled at all by the release.

Drawing in air, he clenched his hand tighter around my waist, as though certain I was going to jump up and run away before he could speak.

"_I'm leaving again."_

"_Right now?"_

Already the misery was dulling my sense, whittling away at my innards. He grabbed my hair in a painfully tight grip, jolting my gaze back to his.

"_In the morning. I will leave. But I'm coming back, and you better wait. Understood?"_

I understood, but I didn't respond. I didn't want to, didn't know if I could.

The words just wouldn't leave my mouth. My lips felt too numb to move, like they had been frozen and couldn't thaw fast enough.

He snarled slightly, jerking me closer for another bruising kiss, demanding my attention.

"_I –said –do –you –understand?" _

"_Is that a promise?"_

My voice was dull but with a hint of my old snarky exterior, mocking our conversation at the end of my junior year.

Mocking his inability to ever promise his return, whether he even would or not.

He said nothing for a moment, glaring at me, fuming, stewing, absolutely enraged for some reason that I couldn't fully understand.

"_Yes."_

"_Yes?"_

"_Yes…I promise. I'll come back. But you better fucking wait for me, or so help you Marik, you won't even be able to go to hell without me following you down there for eternity."_

And he did leave, just like he said he would. The next morning, he was gone.

No note, no flowers, nothing except the indentation of his body where it had been lying next to mine.

I rolled over, emotional, hurting, and pressed my face to where the bed was still warm from his body. My hand curled around his pillow.

It was there that I felt the tear in the fabric.

I looked up, through glassy eyes, and saw the word he had carved into the pillow case, scattering feathers in the wake of his knife.

"_WAIT."_

I laughed.

I laughed so hard that the tears came running down my face, or I cried so hard that I had to start laughing.

I wasn't sure which.

It was madness.

But I knew as I traced the letters he had put into his pillow just to remind me of both our promises.

I knew that I would wait, not matter how pathetic, no matter how painful.

I knew that I would always, always wait for him, no matter what.

**A/N: Oh gosh, that was so angst-y, it hurts to even edit...hopefully not too angst-y for you guys to enjoy it...but as you can see there is a (slight?) hint that things are looking up for our favorite baddies! Also, I inserted that (kind of awkwardly placed) scene where Marik remembers the first time Bakura saw his scars because I swear every other review was requesting it! So, since I do my best to listen to my lovely reviewers, I took some time to put it in. It is a bit random, but hopefully you still enjoyed it! Let me know what you think and see you next week for the final chapter!**


	21. Love

**A/N: Ah, no the last chapter! Having done this before with "Perfect" I'd like to say I'm better at saying goodbye to a long lasting, much loved story, but...I'm not. I actually cry a little bit when I finish writing/posting a story, because it's something I've been working on, improving, receiving feedback for and sharing with my beloved readers for so long. I don't want to say goodbye to this one, especially because I once again do not know if/when I will be returning to this fandom...but if I do it will probably be to write the flip side of this story, focusing on Bakura's journey! So don't lose hope yet! Like Bakura, I cannot promise to return, but if you'd just wait then...MAYBE...I shall ;)**

**Disclaimer: Yugioh is not mine.**

I remember when he returned.

And of course, he did return. It might have taken him two months (long enough for me to begin doubting) but he made a promise, and he made good on it.

I should have known if he could follow a list of rules his mother made years ago, he wouldn't break a promise he made to me.

But it was hard, harder than anything I'd ever done before. It was hard to keep faith.

I had to, though. I couldn't go back to that dark place, the place where I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, couldn't function, couldn't do anything but think about how much it hurt where I was.

I put my focus on school and on friends.

Maybe going drinking with Ryuji wasn't the _most_ constructive thing I could have done to pass the time, but I was rebuilding bridges and making myself feel better at the same time.

And I managed to reclaim some of what had been mine.

In some ways, I was returning to a kingdom or, in the words of Akefia, the life I had left behind to rot and grow dusty.

It took some cleaning up, but it was still there, right where I'd left it (and so was all my schoolwork of course).

To say that that kept me busy would not be an overstatement.

Strangely, the more I cleaned up and reclaimed, the more I began to understand the cryptic things I had once heard Akefia say.

What once sound like raving and heartlessness was beginning to make sense (though I'm not sure what that says about my own sanity).

"_Just remember, this life isn't a permanent one. Just the first of many."_

It wasn't permanent. I had proved that when I stepped away from pretty much everything except my own misery and loneliness.

The life I had built with friends and school and everything else had been forgotten. I'd entered a different 'life'.

One of suffering.

But that wasn't permanent either.

That didn't mean I couldn't return to it if I ever chose to, though.

I also didn't have to if I didn't want to.

"_Don't get too used to it. That's just as dangerous as letting it become permanent."_

I shuddered to imagine what it would have been like to get used to a life of loneliness. At least at this point the damage was not irreparable.

If it had become that way…I wonder if I would have just wasted away in my misery.

"_You'll understand."_

Did I understand? I thought so.

But like Bakura said in response, he was always a couple steps behind Akefia.

What sounded like madness at one time could become logic at another. It all depended on where you were in your life.

For now, I thought it made sense.

It was hard to say how I'd feel when I was face to face with Bakura again. If I got that chance.

I did, of course.

Like a wraith in the night, he showed up one evening.

Despite her disapproval, when I gave Ishizu the look that told her exactly who was on the other side of the door, she vacated the place, sure to give Bakura her best big-sister glare on the way out.

He entered, still not saying anything. He just stared, expression somewhat haunted as he looked into my eyes, searching for something, I wasn't sure what.

Maybe the depression that had been weighing down my every movement the last time he'd seen me.

The depression that I'd been battling tooth and nail since he'd left again, trying to convince myself that he'd return.

Trying to convince myself that this moment would come.

"_Nice place."_

"_I thought you might like it."_

I tried to say it with a straight face, I really did, but I couldn't help the little grin that found my face.

He didn't miss it. He tried to glare but it was more a rueful smirk than anything else.

Ishizu and Seto had been married since the last time I saw him. That meant that we were now living in Seto's mansion.

He was away on business right now, but that didn't make it any less his house.

At first, I'd been concerned that Bakura wouldn't know where to find me.

That was silly, of course. He always knew how to find me.

This was the guy who'd promised to literally follow me to hell if he had to.

Though this, to him, was probably as close to hell on earth as he could think of.

"_I hope you don't expect me to stay here with you."_

"_I don't expect you to stay at all."_

Bitterness laced my words. The laughter was gone from our conversation.

He shot me a sharp look before crossing the room, grabbing me by my shoulders tightly.

I felt my whole body tense. My back tingled a little.

"_It's fine. You came back like you promised. And I've been doing…better. Just don't ask me to be excited about it."_

"_I do expect you to be excited."_

This time it was my turn to glare at him. Had he not heard what I just said?

"_Seriously, Bakura" –_

"_Shut up. I'm trying to tell you something. Would you just listen?"_

Blunt as ever, at least.

I decided to shut up. The last time he'd given me something to be excited about, it was the motorcycle that was still sitting in my driveway at this very moment.

I supposed it wouldn't hurt to let him talk. Just in case he had a gas card on him or something.

I gave him a nod as the go ahead, trying not to get my hopes up.

"_I've found a…more stable occupation. In Domino. And an apartment. It's a one bedroom, but I didn't think that would bother you."_

His smirk covered up any nerves he might be feeling. And if he wasn't feeling any nerves, I was making up for it with my recklessly beating heart.

Was he…asking me to move in with him? Here? Right now?

"_You expect me to just drop everything and move in with you just because you say your back in town for good?"_

"_Yes."_

"_You're a cocky bastard."_

"_You're stubborn and melodramatic and impossible and I've given up more than you can imagine for this. You told me you'd wait for me. Now what's your answer?"_

He was glaring, grip tight around me, looking like he'd rip me in half if I dared to say no.

Behind that though, I sensed true intent. At least in saying that he had given up something in order to have this opportunity with me.

And if he was willing to do that, just for me…that meant he was willing to do quite a bit to be with me.

I gave him an ultimatum and he chose me.

Essentially, he was telling me, demanding that I know, that he needed me. More than anything else in his life.

It was me that he needed and wanted the most.

And knowing that, it really only left me with one option.

"_Well, if you insist…"_

"_I do."_

"_Then I guess my answer will just have to be yes."_

…

"_And so you see, Ishizu, that's how I know. It wasn't when I first met him, or when we started dating. It wasn't when he stayed the night, and it definitely wasn't when he took me out to dinner and stuck me with the cheque. Words don't mean much to Bakura. You can say anything and say nothing at the same time. Promises are what matter in his world. Promises, and actions. He promised he'd come back, and I promised that I'd wait. And he did come back. He gave up on an entirely different life, a life that he couldn't have if he also wanted to have me and he chose me. He could have been a thief for the rest of his life, and a damn good one at that. He could have been rich and had all the treasures in the world. But the prize that he wanted wasn't one that he could steal. At the end of the day, I was the thing that he couldn't just take. I was the treasure that he couldn't be without. And that's how I know…that he loves me."_

**A/N: So, how was that? An adequate ending? Did you like what I did with the theme of this story in the "That's how I know" and the chapter titles? I personally enjoyed finding ways to work that in...especially because I got to start Marik and Bakura's relationship at lust and end it at love ;) *Sigh* I almost don't want to post this because that will mean that it is over...however, I love you all very much and you've been just the most fabulous and interactive of readers I could possibly ask for so I may just have to return to this someday when I have time! I hope you've enjoyed the journey, and thank you so very much for taking it with me :) *heart* ~Elle**


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